FloSoftball did a live blog from the Premier Girls Fastpitch National Championships on Friday, Aug. 5, at Huntington Beach Sports Complex. Here’s how it all went down.

Tampa Mustangs-TJ (Fla.) and Beverly Bandits-Team DeMarini (Ill.) both made history at the Premier Girls Fastpitch National Championships on Friday at Huntington Beach, becoming the first two teams to lose their opening round games in bracket play and fight their way all the way through the Loser’s Bracket to reach the 16U Premier Division championship game.

The Mustangs had two win 11 consecutive games while facing elimination, beating Birmingham Thunderbolts ’99 (Ala.) twice, 5-4 in eight innings and 1-0 in nine innings, to reach the title game.

“This team has a tremendous amount of heart,” Mustangs coach TJ Goelz said. “I was talking to the coach from the Bolts (Jay Roberson) and he said it’s just crazy how evenly these two teams are matched. What it comes down to is one play, one lucky bounce or one dropped ball. But all week the softball gods have been smiling on us. I love this team, it has so much heart.”

In the bottom of the ninth, South Florida-commit Kinsey Goelz started off at second base because of the international tiebreaker rule and took third on a ground out, The Bolts decided to intentionally walk the next two batters to load the bases. Then South Florida-commit Brooke Leistl got down a squeeze to score Goelz for the walk-off win. The throw home beat the runner but the ball was dropped and the game–and amazing bracket run–was over.

Palm Beach Atlantic-commit Claire Feldman started and worked 7 1/3 scoreless innings and allowed three hits, three walks and struck out 11 for the Mustangs. Mercer-commit Cassidy Davis pitched the 1 2/3 innings of hitless relief with one strikeout to nail down the victory.

Bolts starter Kayla Boseman was the tough-luck loser, allowing two hits, one walk and striking out four in nine innings of work.

The Bandits had to win 10 consecutive games in the Loser’s Bracket, beating Ohana Tigers (Calif.) twice, 3-0 and 8-0, to reach the finals. Michigan-commit Meghan Beaubien, who went the distance in Team DeMarini’s first three wins on Friday, combined with Gabby Schnaiter to throw a five-inning no-hitter.

“It’s been unreal from where we were at the beginning and we’re just peaking at the right time,” Bandits assistant coach Eddy Ketelhut said. “Our hitters are finally hot where we thought they would be and defensively we’re very sound and we’re able to carry this momentum after losing the first game in bracket.”

The Bandits and Mustangs square off in the championship game on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Deanna Manning Stadium at Bill Barber Park in Irvine, Calif.

IMPACT REBOUNDS WITH WIN TO GET TO FINALS

After dropping the first game against Beverly Bandits-Team DeMarini (Ohio), Georgia Impact-Lewis avenged the loss with a 2-1 win over the Bandits to put themselves in the 14U Premier Division national title game against Mark Campbell’s OC Batbusters on Saturday at 11 a.m. at Deanna Manning Stadium.

Georgia Impact got five hits off Alabama-commit Montana Fouts and Logan Caymol held the Bandits to five hits, one run and struck out nine to get the complete game win for Georgia Impact.

BATBUSTERS PUNCH TICKET TO FINALS

Alyssa Podhurcak went 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBI to help Mark Campbell’s OC Batbusters knock off So Cal Athletics-TO, 4-2, and punch their ticket to the PGF 14U Premier Division national title game on Saturday at 11 a.m. at Bill Barber Park.

BANDITS FORCE SECOND GAME

Gracie Voulgaris had a two-run homer and a two-run double to help Beverly Bandits-Team DeMarini (Ohio) beat Georgia Impact-Lewis to force a second game against Impact with a trip to the PGF 14U Premier national championship game on the line.

Alabama-commit Montana Fouts allowed four hits, one run, one walk and struck out 10 to get the complete game win for the Bandits.

DRAMATIC 16U PREMIER FINAL FOUR

The Huntington Beach Sports Complex is the place to be if you love drama. Tampa Mustangs-TJ (Fla.) and Beverly Bandits-Team DeMarini (Ill.) are both trying to pull off the improbable after losing their first round games in Bracket play and fighting all the way through the Loser’s Bracket to get to the Final Four of the 16U Premier Division at the PGF Nationals.

South Florida-commit Bethaney Keen had an RBI double and Myah Moy connected on a two-run homer in the top of the eighth to give the Mustangs a 5-2 lead over the Birmingham Thunderbolts (Ala.), but O’Neill Roberson made things interesting by hitting a two-run homer for the Bolts in the bottom of the eighth. The Mustangs held on for the 5-4 victory and their 10th consecutive elimination game win to force a second game with the Bolts.

Michigan-commit Meagan Beaubien pitched a masterful game for the Bandits against the Ohana Tigers (Calif.) in the other semifinal. Beaubien pitched a six-hitter with one walk and 15 strikeouts to help the Bandits beat the Tigers, 3-0, for their ninth consecutive elimination game win to force a second game with the Tigers.

PGF NATIONAL ROUNDUP

16U PREMIER WINNER’S BRACKET FIFTH ROUND GAMES:

CA Ohana Tigers 7, OK Tulsa Elite 4: The Tigers jumped out to a 5-0 lead thanks to a three-run bomb by Oklahoma-commit Alexa Schultz, but Tulsa Elite rallied for four runs in the bottom of the second to make it a game before Arizona-commit Jenna Kean had an RBI double and Florida-commit Jordan Matthews added an RBI single during a two-run rally in the top of the fifth to give the Tigers some insurance.

Kean ended up going 4 for 5 with three runs and an RBI.

AL Birmingham Thunderbolts ’99 1, GA Impact-Jeffreys 0: Kayla Bozeman scattered seven hits, walked two and struck out three to record the shutout and send the T-Bolts to the Final Four.

16U PREMIER LOSER’S BRACKET NINTH ROUND GAMES:

FL Tampa Mustangs-TJ 1, OK Tulsa Elite 0: Myah Moy gave the Mustangs a 1-0 lead with an RBI single in the bottom of the first and Palm Beach Atlantic-commit Claire Feldman pitched a two-hitter with two walks and nine strikeouts to help the Mustangs win their eighth consecutive elimination game to reach the Final Four.

IL Beverly Bandits-Team DeMarini 8, GA Impact-Jeffreys 1: Miami of Ohio-commit Ashton Slone hit a two-run homer and drove in four runs to lead Team DeMarini into the Final Four.

16U PREMIER LOSER’S BRACKET EIGHTH ROUND GAMES:

IL Beverly Bandits-Team DeMarini 5, IL Beverly Bandits-Tyrrell 4: Hannah File had a two-run single and Mallory Marsicek had an RBI double as Team DeMarini rallied for three runs in the top of the seventh and held on to defeat Bandits-Tyrrell and stave off elimination.

Team DeMarini had originally been knocked into the Loser’s Bracket by Bandits-Tyrrell, which had beaten Team DeMarini three times this summer.

FL Tampa Mustangs-TJ 8, AZ Suncats 1: Myah Moy belted a grand slam in the bottom of the fifth to power the Mustangs.

PGF NATIONALS SCOREBOARD

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16U PREMIER DIVISION

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AT HUNTINGTON BEACH SPORTS COMPLEX

SEMIFINALS

• FL Tampa Mustangs-TJ 5, AL Birmingham Thunderbolts ’99 4 (8 innings)
• FL Tampa Mustangs-TJ 1, AL Birmingham Thunderbolts ’99 0 (9 innings)
• IL Beverly Bandits-Team DeMarini 3, CA Ohana Tigers 0
• IL Beverly Bandits-Team DeMarini 8, CA Ohana Tigers 0 (5 innings)

FIFTH ROUND

WINNER’S BRACKET A

• CA Ohana Tigers 7, OK Tulsa Elite 4

WINNER’S BRACKET B

• AL Birmingham Thunderbolts ’99 1, GA Impact-Jeffreys 0

NINTH ROUND

LOSER’S BRACKET A

• FL Tampa Mustangs-TJ 1, OK Tulsa Elite 0

LOSER’S BRACKET B

• IL Beverly Bandits-Team DeMarini 8, Georgia Impact-Jeffreys 1

EIGHTH ROUND

LOSER’S BRACKET A

• FL Tampa Mustangs-TJ 8, AZ Suncats 1

LOSER’S BRACKET B

• IL Beverly Bandits-Team DeMarini 5, IL Beverly Bandits-Tyrrell 4

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14U PREMIER DIVISION

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AT FOUNTAIN VALLEY SPORTS PARK

SEMIFINALS

• OH Beverly Bandits-Team DeMarini 6, GA Impact-Lewis 1
• OH Beverly Bandits-Team DeMarini 2, GA Impact-Lewis 1
• CA OC Batbusters-Campbell 4, CA So Cal A’s-TO 2

FIFTH ROUND

WINNER’S BRACKET A

• GA Impact-Lewis 7, CA So Cal A’s-Mercado 2

WINNER’S BRACKET B

• CA OC Batbusters-Campbell 2, AL Birmingham Thunderbolts ’00-Maze 1

NINTH ROUND

LOSER’S BRACKET A

• CA So Cal A’s-TO 6, CA So Cal A’s-Mercado 2

LOSER’S BRACKET B

• OH Beverly Bandits-Team DeMarini 4, AL Birmingham Thunderbolts ’00-Maze 1

EIGHTH ROUND

LOSER’S BRACKET A

• CA So Cal A’s-TO 2, AZ Suncats 1

LOSER’S BRACKET B

• OH Beverly Bandits-Team DeMarini 7, CA Grapettes-Renfro 0

SEVENTH ROUND

LOSER’S BRACKET A

• CA So Cal A’s-TO 2, CA Firecrackers-Brashear 0
• AZ Suncats 4, CA Corona Angels-Tyson 1

LOSER’S BRACKET B

• OH Beverly Bandits-Team DeMarini 5, CA USA Athletics-Thompson 1
• CA Grapettes-Renfro 9, CA Cal Thunder 8

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