‘The Zoe Show’ and Stellar Defense Buoy Firecrackers-Rico to AFCS Driver’s Seat

On Wednesday, Tony Rico’s Firecrackers were a game away from elimination. After dropping their opening game of the Super Regional round in the Alliance Fastpitch Championship Series, the Firecrackers had their backs against the wall.

For the rest of the four-team Super Regional, the Firecrackers never lost. In fact, through the next four games, Rico’s club outscored their opponents 37-6 en route to earning a spot in the Elite Eight at the AFCS.

As impressive of a streak as that was, once they got to that very Elite Eight, the Firecrackers might have gotten even better.

It was Firecrackers squared in the first game of the Elite Eight, with Rico’s squad facing off against Firecrackers-Brashear. There were clearly some bragging rights on the line, as the nail-biter of a game went from a 3-3 tie to a 4-3, then 6-3 Rico lead to a 6-5 game in the 7^th inning.

When Rico’s club pulled out that win, their 5^th consecutive victory in Westfield, they were in personally-uncharted territory. One year ago, at the inaugural AFCS, Rico’s Firecrackers went 0-2 in the Elite Eight, one of the first teams eliminated from the final round.

How much things can change in one year.

Rico’s stacked roster would follow their win over Firecrackers-Brashear with a matchup against the Corona Angels, coached by Marty Tyson. A matchup of two of the west coast’s best teams drew a crowd of college coaches and actually wound up as the Friday finale at Grand Park.

The game was all Firecrackers.

Rico’s team did it all in the game. An early 2-run home run by Utah-committed Shonty Passi gave the Firecrackers the 2-0 lead; incredible play by the Firecracker outfield included diving defensive web gems by both Holly Medina and Skylar Limon that took hits away from the Angels.

The story of the day, though, might have to be The Zoe Show.

In the 7^th inning, North Dakota State-committed Zoe King stepped in off the bench to pinch hit and cracked a 2-run bomb to left field that had no doubt as it cleared the fence by a healthy margin and gave the Firecrackers a late 4-0 lead. The longball crossed the 200’ fence with ease.

And then there was Zoe Prystajko in the circle, who spun a masterpiece.

Prystajko – a 2024 left-handed pitcher with a 4.4 GPA, oh-by-the-way – entered the game with opponents hitting just .130 against her since she arrived in Indiana. That number didn’t exactly waver after Friday night’s affair.

Never just super overpowering in the game, Prystajko collected one strikeout and allowed five hits in a complete-game outing. She stymied the Angels’ offense at the plate and was masterful in the circle. Making the effort more impressive? Prior to facing Prystajko, the Angels had yet to lose a game in the AFCS and had only scored fewer than four runs in a game one time. Against her, they never crossed the plate.

Thanks to their 2-0 start in the Elite Eight, the Firecrackers are now in the driver’s seat for a spot in the AFCS title series. They need just one win on Saturday to advance to the final round of the tournament, a best-of-three championship series that will take place on Sunday to determine a champion.