FloSoftball did a live blog from Day 2 of the Premier Girls Fastpitch National Championships on Sunday, July 26, at Huntington Beach Sports Complex. Here’s how it all went down.

SORCERER VS. CRUISERS IN ROUND 1

There’s another very good first round matchup between California powerhouses with the Mel Sievers’ Cal Cruisers of So Cal taking on Pete Aguayo’s Sorcerer of Nor Cal on Monday at 10:45 a.m. at Fountain Valley Sportspark.

“Couldn’t agree with you more,” Cruisers manager Don Cone said of the matchup against Sorcerer. “It’s going to be a battle. The Sorcerers have always been one of the top organizations in California. They have a great coaching staff that knows how to teach the game the right way and get the most out of their players. It’s going to come down to who executes the best and makes the least mistakes.”

Both teams are very familiar with each other, which should make for an even more intriguing contest.

“Our first round match up with the Cruisers is a tough draw,” Aguayo said. “Mel Sievers’ puts a quality top tier team on the field every season. This year, they are even better than last year. As coaches, we all talk about how tough any first round game is at nationals, but playing the California Cruisers is a tall task.  Our Sorcerer team has been working hard and although we are young, we believe in each other and play scrappy.  We are super excited to have the opportunity to play the Cruisers.  Both teams are loaded with the talent, heart and fight to go deep in the tournament.”

INTERESTING FIRST ROUND MATCHUP

Bret Denio’s Explosion (Calif.) have been up-and-down this summer, but there’s no doubt Explosion has the talent to make a deep run in the 18U Premier Division.  Explosion has an interesting first round game against Kevin Ellebracht’s Firecrackers (Calif.) on Monday at 10:45 a.m. at Fountain Valley Sportspark.

The Firecrackers beat Kim Howard’s Corona Angels (Calif.) in Salinas to qualify for the PGF Nationals, won the Colorado Sparkler 18U Open Division title and went unbeaten at the Champions Cup in the past month.

“We’re excited to Explosion-Denio and see just how we can do against one of the best teams in the 18U Division,” Ellebracht said. “They are a great team, no doubt, but we have a good team as well. If we can keep the ball in the park, I like our chances. Our pitching and defense has to be on point if we’re going to hang with them, and our bats have to stay hot.”

Oklahoma-bound pitcher Brittany Finney, the Gatorade state player of the year from Kansas, has been rounding into shape for the Explosion, who also have a formidable lineup that includes Oklahoma-commit Vanessa Taukeiaho, Auburn-bound Makayla Martin and Missouri-bound Kolby Romaine.

“They are the better team on paper for sure, but that’s why we playthe game,” Ellebracht said. “We believe any team can be beat at any given time if you take advantage of the opportunities put in front of you and capitalize on mistakes the other team may make. It will be a tough road, but we’re up for the challenge.

“We have a great group fp girls that genuinely love playing together. We have fun and keep things loose and the girls respond to it. Playing with honor is how we approach the game and our plan is to always give it our all. Leave it all on the field. Bret is a good guy and we look forward to stepping on the field with them.”

HEAT CHECK

Jeff Blanco’s Firecrackers (Calif.) are a team to keep an eye on in the 18U Premier Division and they have a player that is one fire coming out of last week’s TC/USA Nationals. St. John’s-bound 3B/1B Christina Melendez hit five home runs on the final day, including three home runs in consecutive at-bats against the Florida Stingrays, to help the Firecrackers take 13th place.

POOL PLAY CONTINUES

All the teams continue with pool play games all day today at Huntington Beach Sports Complex, Fountan Valley Sportspark and Harvard Park. The pool play games are just practice games that have no effect on the national championships, which runs Monday-Friday with double-elimination bracket play.

Here are the PGF Nationals brackets:

• CLICK HERE FOR 18PREMIER BRACKET
• CLICK HERE FOR 18U PLATINUM BRACKET
• CLICK HERE FOR 12U PREMIER BRACKET
• CLICK HERE FOR 10U PREMIER BRACKET

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