I’m did live blog from Day 3 of the Champions Cup on Friday, July 17, at Harvard Park and Bill Barber Park in Irvine, Calif. Here’s how it all went down:

ELIMNATION TIME

Pool Play at the Champions Cup was completed on Friday night and now its time for single-elimination bracket play on Saturday, July 18, and Sunday, July 19, with the championship game on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. at Deanna Manning Stadium at Bill Barber Park in Irvine, Calif., which is the site of the CIF-Southern Section Championships and the World Cup of Softball.

FIRECRACKERS-KEVIN ON A ROLL

Kevin Ellebracht’s Firecrackers (Calif.) have have been on a roll this past month, qualifying for PGF 18U Premier in Salinas, Calif., then winning the Colorado Sparkler 18U Open Division and this week they are 3-0-2 in pool play games at the Champions Cup after beating the Grapettes (Calif.), 5-2, on Friday afternoon at Harvard Park.

The Firecrackers, who qualified for PGF 18U Platinum last year, needed some dramatics to get past Kim Howard’s Corona Angels in Salinas. After battling to a 0-0 draw through seven innings, the Angels took a 2-0 lead in ITB, but the Firecrackers came charging back and won, 3-2, on Illinois-bound Alexis Carillo’s walk-off, two-run single.

“We went right to Colorado after Salinas,” Ellebracht said. “We weren’t going to go. Our original plan was to take that week off. We have a couple kids that are still yet to be verballed, so Coach Jim (Zaccari) and I made the decision that we needed to be there to get some exposure.”

The Firecrackers tied their first game at Colorado, then they blew through the rest of the field to take the 18U Open title.

“It was great competition (in Colorado), but the girls just made a pact that, ‘We’re not going to lose. We refuse to lose and we’re going to do whatever it takes.’ And they did,” Ellebracht said. “They scored a lot of runs. I think we scored 79 runs and only gave up 15. So they were on it.”

Once again, the Firecrackers came out flat to start the Champions Cup with two ties on Day 1. They have won three straight since.

“I don’t know what it is about this group,” Ellebracht said, “but they love coming from behind. It must be something that they love to do, the excitement and everything. They get down and then they just refuse to lose. It’s ben a great summer season. Actually, we haven’t lost a game since we came back from summer ball, but we’ve tied a few.”

Ellebracht said he has gotten contributions from up and down his lineup.

“The one player that I’m going to say that has really done a lot for us is Annemarie Fischer (an uncommitted 2016 first baseman and catcher). She’ll be a senior this year. She goes to school down in Chula Vista (Calif.). She hit over .700 in Colorado and she’s been on fire here. She just keeps getting the singles. She had back-to-back home runs in Colorado, but she’ll just get that double or gapper or a single, the hard-hit ball. She’s been coming through for us.

“With that being said, this is a total team effort. We have some great kids, obviously, that hit the ball hard. These couple kids will hit, then they’ll go cold, but the other couple will hit. They’ll go cold and some others will hit. Up and down the lineup, back and forth, the kids are doing a great job.”

MILILANI PREP GOES UNBEATEN IN POOL PLAY

I was expecting Team California (Calif.) to give Mililani Prep (Hawaii) a battle and it did through four scoreless innings, but Mililani Prep broke open the game with a four-run rally in the top of the fifth. The Hawaiians went on to best the Californians, 5-0, to finish unbeaten in pool play at 5-0-1.

The lone blemish on Mililani Prep’s record was a 1-1 tie with Marty Tyson’s Corona Angels in its very first game on Wednesday morning.

Fahren Glackin, who finished second in the Mountain West Conference’s Freshman of the Year voting at UNLV this past season, went 3 for 3 with a walk and a run to lead Mililani Prep against Team California. Robi Kami had a two-run double, Nue Sivia and Kalei Kaneshiro each had RBI singles and Lauren Tauanu’u had two hits and two runs.

TEAM CALIFORNIA SHOWS HEART

Team California (Calif.) gave Marty Tyson’s Corona Angels all they could handle in a 3-3 tie in pool play on Thursday night at Harvard Park. That fighting spirit was on display again when Shelby Tevis, a 2016 SS/2B/OF, delivered an opposite field single to right to drive in two runs in the top of he seventh as Team California rallied to beat So Cal A’s-Marinakis, 5-4, in pool play on Friday morning.

“We’ve been battling really close with some really tough teams,” Team California coach Mike Scott said. “They’ve been stepping up and playing with a lot of emotion.”

Scott said the tie with the Corona Angels “will probably end up being one of the better games of this weekend.”

“They were bringing the bats today, hitting line drives, playing small ball and keeping them on their heels,” Scott said of the game against So Cal A’s-Marinakis. “I think that’s where we’re really looking the best.”

Breanna Swint, a 5-10, 2016 right-hander, as pitched every game for Team California.

“They (Corona Angels) hit her, but we kept the ball down and the defense made some great plays,” Scott said of Swint. “We had some line drives and we ended up doubling them up. I think we had two (double plays) in that game.”

Scott said he’s been getting contributions from all over his lineup.

“Maddy Skibitzki can play everywhere,” Scott said. “She’s my lead-off hitter and catcher. She’s the fastest on the team, and the smartest. Then we have Jaydee (Boursaw). She’s a third baseman, catcher and she plays first base for me. She came up with some big hits last night (against the Corona Angels-Tyson) and today (vs. the So Cal A’s-Marinakis) with some line drives. My center fielder Matteson Cunningham … she’s clutch. And then Hannah Mueller is always putting the ball down, getting bunts down, slapping and getting it in the 5-6 hole and getting line drives.”

Team California, which is based in Roseville, Calif., just outside of Sacramento, has been around for about six years. Scott worked with Dot Richardson at the national training center in Florida before taking the head coach job with Team California.

“We had some big names start it (Team California) off,” Scott said. “We’ve had (former two-time All-American) Lyndsey Klein and (former Olympian) Jenny Topping as coaches within the organization and (former four-time All-American and Olympian) Michele Granger, and they were big in getting the thing up and going.”

Team California is playing up at 18U at the Champions Cup, but keep an eye on them at the ASA/USA Softball 16U lass A Nationals in Chattanooga, Tenn., from July 26-Aug. 2.

CHAMPIONS CUP

AT HARVARD PARK/BILL BARBER PARK, IRVINE, CALIF.

FRIDAY, JULY 17, RESULTS

18U JO SHOWCASE

POOL A

• CA San Diego Elite ’97 4, CA Lady Wolfpack-Barron 3
• CA San Diego Elite ’973, CA Firecrackers-Manzo 1
• AZ Thundercats 11, CA Lady Wolfpack-Barron 5
• AZ Thundercats 1, CA Firecrackers-Manzo 0
• CA Comets-Ceo 9, CA So Cal rebels 1
• CA American Pastime Gold 2, CA Comets-Ceo 1
• CA American Pastime Gold 8, CA So Cal Rebels 0

POOL B

• CA Cal Riptide Gold 6, AZ Cats Gold 5
• CA Waves 2, AZ Cats Gold 2
• WA Northwest Lady Sharks Gold 3, CA Cal Riptide Gold 2
• WA Northwest Lady Sharks Gold 4, CA Waves 3
• HI Na Wahine 7, CA American Pastime-Garcia 3
• CA Breeze 6, HI Na Wahine 1
• CABreeze 1, CA American Pastime-Garcia 0

POOL C

• NY Long Island Bandits Gold 9, CA Nor Cal Diehards 0
• CA Mize Fast Pitch Diamond 6, NY Long Island Bandits Gold 2
• CA Fury-Goodacre 8, CA Nor Cal Diehards 4
• CA Fury-Goodacre 2, CA Mize Fast Pitch Diamond 1
• CA IE Dynasty 13, HI Ekahi Softball 11
• WA Acers-Anderton 7, HI Ekahi Softball 0
• WA Acers-Anderton 1, CA IE Dynasty 0

POOL D

• OR Panthers Gold 10, OR Racers Fast Pitch 5
• OR Panthers Gold 2, NV Las Vegas Blast 1
• WA Illusion-Harris 3, OC Racers Fastpitch 0
• WA Illusion-Harris 8, NV Las Vegas Blast 7
• CO Stars Gold 4, CA South Bay Diamond Girls 3
• CA Case Batbusters 6, CO Stars Gold 3
• CA Case Batbusters 4, CA South Bay Diamond Girls 0

POOL E

• CA Runnin Rebels Gold 4, CA Valley Stompers-JC 3
• CA Valley Stompers-JC 1, CA Cal A’s-Paula 0
• CA Runnin Rebels Gold 8, CA Quakes Gold 5
• CA Cal A’s-Paula 2, CA Quakes Gold 0
• CA Cal Thunder 5, MA Polar Crush Gold 0
• CA Dirt Dogs-Mizuno/Harger 5, MA Polar Crush Gold 0
• CA Dirt Dogs-Mizuno/Harger 3, CA Cal Thunder 1

POOL F

• CA Destroyers 5, CA Firecrackers-Snyder 4
• CA Fiecrackers-Snyder 5, CA San Diego Power Surge-Berndes 1
• ID North idaho Xtreme 16, CA Destroyers 0
• CA San Diego Power Surge-Berndes 8, ID North Idaho Xtreme 7
• CA Batbusters-Valdivia 2, CA San Jose Sting Gold 1
• CA Sorcerer-Williams 5, CA Batbusters-Valdivia 0
• CA Sorcerer-Williams 5, CA San Jose Sting Gold 1

POOL G

• CA Firecrackers-Young 2, AZ Lil Saints Gold 1
• AZ Lil Saints Gold 3, MA Central Mass Rapids Gold 2
• CA Firecrackers-Young 9, CA Team Easton-NP 5
• MA Central Mass Rapids Gold 5, CA Team Easton-NP 0
• CA San Diego Rebels-Hill 6, CA Cen Cal Krush 2
• CA OC Batbusters-Lara 8, CA Cen Cal Krush 3
• CA OC Batbusters-Lara 3, CA San Diego Rebels-Hill 0

POOL H

• CA So Cal A’s-Maranakis 8, CA San Diego Legacy 0
• CA Team California 5, CA So Cal A’s-Marinakis 4
• HI Mililani Prep 11, AZ Desert Thunder-Noland 0
• HI Mililani Prep 5, CA Team California 0
• AZ Desert Thunder-Noland 4, CA Bears Gold 1
• CA Corona Angels-Tyson  7, CA Bears Gold 0
• CA Corona Angels-Tyson 4, AZ Desert Thunder-Noland 0

POOL I

• CA So Cal Breakers-Labs 7, CA Amerian pastime-SGV 1
• CA So Cal Breakers-Labs 5, CA Easton Elite-Ludlow 4
• CA American Pastime-SGV1, NV las Vegas Rage Gold-Mizuno 0
• CA easton Elite-Ludlow 2, NV Las Vegas Rage Gold-Mizuno 2
• CA Lady Wolfpack-Akire 2, CA Nemesis Elite-TH 1
• CA Lakewood Firecrackers-BP 4, CA Lady Wolfpack-Akire 3
• CA Lakewood Firecrackers-BP 10, CA Nemesis Elite-TH 1

POOL J

• CA Cal A’s-Blue 5, CA So Cal Dynasty-Lilly 3
• CA Courage 6, CA Cal A’s-Blue 3
• CA The Next Level 8, CA So Cal Dynasty-Lilly 0
• CA The Next Level 3, CA Courage 1
• HI Kaikamahine Girls 15, CA SOC Storm 0
• HI Kaikamahine Girls 10, CA Pacific Coast Predators 1
• CA Pacific Coast Predators 4, CA SOC Storm 4

POOL K

• CA Cal A’s-White 11, CA Stealth Fast Pitch-Adams 2
• CA Stealth Fastpitch-Adams 7, WA Illusion-Gray 2
• CA Cal A’s-White 10, AZ Hotshots-Purdy 1
• AZ Hotshots-Purdy 6, WA Illusion-Gray 5
• HI Guava Jam 4, CA Teamsmith-Silva/Hotetz 0
• CA So Cal Filly’s 7, HI Guava Jam 0
• CA So Cal Filly’s 4, CA Teamsmith-Silva/Hotetz 3

POOL L

• CA Foothill Gold-S/N 6, CA San Diego Rowdies Gold 2
• CA FP 18G 9, CA San Diego Rowdies Gold 2
• CA Foothill Gold-S/N 5, WA Illusion-Mendez 3
• CA FP 18G 4, WA Illusion-Mendez 3
• CA Firecrackers 5, CA Grapettes-TC 2
• CA KG Hitters-Kiko 6, CA Grapettes-TC 0
• CA Firecrackers-Kevin 6, CA KG Hitters-Kiko 3

POOL M

• CA OC Batbusters-Alvarez 5, CA So Cal Strikkers 4
• CA Firecrackers-Lucero 6, CA OC Batbusters-Alvarez 0
• CA So Cal Strikkers 5, CA San Diego Rowdies-Alan 1
• CA Firecrackers-Lucero 14, CA San Diego Rowdies-Alan 1
• CA So Cal Pumas 5, CA Hype Fastpitch 1
• UT Salt Lake Pegasus 6, CA Hype Fastpitch 1
• UT Salt Lake Pegasus 7, CA So Cal Pumas 2

POOL N

• CA Nor Cal Impact 5, CA Rage Gold 3
• CA Batbusters-Jackson 9, CA Rage Gold 0
• CA Teamsmith-KC 3, CA Nor Cal Impact 2
• CA Teamsmith-KC 8, CA Batbusters-Jackson 0
• HI RR Gold-Hawaii 6, CA Cal Badgers 1
• CA Lady Hustle-Marshall 3, HI RR Gold-Hawaii 1
• CA Lady Hustle-Marshall 1, CA Cal Badgers 0

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