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It got unseasonably hot in So Cal on Wednesday as temperatures hit the 90-degree mark, but nothing—or nobody—was hotter at the PGF Nationals than Birmingham Thunderbolt pitcher Shelby Lowe, who helped her team advance in the Winner’s Bracket of the 18U age division.
Here’s a report on her classic performance that will be talked about for a long time as well as other highlights from Day 4 of Week 1 at PGF Nationals…
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18U GAMES
Shelby Lowe (2020, Auburn) won a PGF 16U Premier Nationals title last summer for the Birmingham Thunderbolts so she knows what it’s like to perform under pressure.
Wednesday afternoon at the Huntington Beach Sports Complex Shelby once again showed why she’s one of the top pitchers in the country as she went 11 innings to help the Bolts win 1-0 over the Texas Glory.
Lowe scattered six hits and had seven strikeouts over the extra-inning contest which put the Alabama-based team in the Final Four games in the Winner’s Bracket.
“My riseball was working well,” the pitcher said after the victory. “I was confident, especially as I know the defense has my back behind me.”
The SEC-bound standout’s pitching performance was matched for almost the entire game by Emmy Gutherie (2021, Oklahoma) who also allowed just a half dozen hits.
As ITB progressed, both teams had the advantage of two baserunners on with no outs, but the outstanding arm from centerfielder Rylie Boone (2019, Oklahoma) of the Glory twice nailed runners at the plate preventing the Bolts from closing out the win.
The only run of the game came in the bottom of the 11th when EC Taylor (2019, Florida) slapped a single up the middle with the bases loaded to win the game.
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Doing an unofficial pool of coaches and media folks, most think the A’s – Mercado/Smith team remains the favorite at 18U.
Lexi Sosa (2019, UCLA) hit two home runs in the team’s win over the Impact Gold-Jackson team which had an emotional win the night before over the Suncats.
The A’s will face another So Cal team in the Firecrackers TJ squad which has had a nice blend of pitching, power hitting and speed to advance through the Winner’s Bracket.
Eryka Gonzalez (2020, Cal St. Northridge) shut down a good Sorcerer-Williams team giving up just one hit in four innings before the game opened up. Emari Frazier (2020, LSU) sparked the offense with a two-run home run.
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Name a college head coach and it’s very likely he or she was in Fountain Valley or Huntington Beach on Wednesday.
From Kelly Inouye-Perez of UCLA to Tim Walton of Florida to Heather Tarr of Washington to Patty Gasso of Oklahoma, they were all at PGF Nationals, primarily watching the 16U’s with some going to the 18U games to support their signed players.
