It’s championship day for the PGF 16U and 14U Nationals which will be played at Bill Barber Stadium in Irvine, Calif.

Thursday saw some exciting games at every level and some familiar names are back in the title games.

Here’s a run-down of each division –how the teams got there and what to look for Friday in the finals but first the schedule including TV/streaming availability:

• 14U Premier Championship game – 11:00 am PST

Nationally Televised on Fox Sports West Prime Ticket and Comcast (tape delayed)

• 16U Premier Championship game – 2:00 pm PST

Nationally Televised on Fox Sports West Prime Ticket and Comcast (tape delayed)

* 14U Platinum Championship game – 5:00 pm PST

Nationally Web Streamed on YouTube

* 16U Platinum Championship game – 8:00 pm PST

Nationally Web Streamed on YouTube

 

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16U PREMIER

Championship: Beverly Bandits Premier vs. So Cal A’s-Myers/McNee

Bandits’ path: beat Corona Angels 2-1, lost to Firecrackers-Brashear 4-3, beat Firecrackers-Brashear 6-2 in “if” game

A’s path: beat the EC Bullets 5-2, beat Corona Angels 6-2

What to watch for: a great matchup will be Bandits’ pitcher Alexis Holloway (2017, Notre Dame) going against 1B Sarai Niu (2015, uncommitted) who is hitting .409 with four homers and 15 RBI. Outfielder Kora Wade (2015, Boise State) is also on fire at the plate, hitting .480 with a team-leading 12 hits in the A’s seven wins. The Athletics as a team are hitting .330 and Holloway looked a bit worn down on Thursday… will she be the pitcher we saw through the end of Wednesday when she was so dominant? She’s now 6-1 with a 0.90 ERA and has 60 K’s in 46 2/3 innings and only five walks. The Bandits will be going for a second consecutive PGF 16U National Championship…

 

16U PLATINUM

Championship: OC Batbusters-Mizuno Alvarez vs. California Cruisers-Evans

Batbusters’ path: beat Power Surge 5-2, lost to Dirt Dogs 2-1, beat Dirt Dogs 3-1 in “if” game

Cruisers’ path: beat Dirt Dogs 10-6, beat Power Surge 4-3

What to watch for: The Cruisers have won five games and used three pitchers to start those games with Jordan Quinn being the most effective: she’s 2-0 and in 19 1/3 inning has give up just two earned runs (0.72 ERA) with 21 strikeouts and only two walks. Leading the offense is catcher Lauren Brooks who is hitting .538 (7-for-13) and is tied for the team lead with six RBI. The pitching for the Batbusters has been consistently good—opponents haven’t scored more than three runs in any of the six games—with Alexis Vargas leading the charge. She’s 4-0 and has completed all four games she’s started.

 

 

14U PREMIER

Championship: Angels-Tyson vs. So Cal A’s-Quarles

Angels-Tyson path: beat the TX Bombers HTX 6-0, beat OC Batbusters-Campbell 3-2 and 7-2 in the “if” game (came from the loser’s bracket)

So Cal A’s-Quarles path: beat the Angels-Tyson 8-2, lost to the AZ Suncats 13-11, beat the AZ Suncats 10-1 in the “if” game

What to watch for: A lot of interesting angles to this title game. First, the A’s beat the Angels in the Thursday morning game knocking Marty Tyson’s team to the loser’s bracket. What will be the mental state of these young players—will the Angels be intimidated by a team that beat them 24 hours before? Or will they be seeking revenge? Will the A’s be confident or overconfident? And which A’s pitching staff will show up, the one that gave up 13 runs to the Suncats or the one that shut them down to only one run in the deciding game? Look for Hannah Boos to get the start as she’s 5-0 and has only given up four earned runs in 25 1/3 innings. Alyssa Kumiyama (2107, South Carolina) is hitting .524 and is one of seven A’s regulars hitting over .300 but they’ll be facing a tough pitcher in Megan Faraimo who has pitched all but eight innings of the Angels eight games and is 7-1 with 71 K’s in 45 2/3 innings.

 

14U PLATINUM

Championship: Courage vs. California Cruisers-Sievers/Kempton

Courage path: beat FC 2000K 11-1, beat TNL Gold 11-1

Cruisers path: beat TNL Gold 11-4, beat FC 2000K 8-5

What to watch for: The key to the game will be the Cruisers pitching versus the Courage offense which is hitting an impressive .441 collectively and is averaging 11 runs per game. Shortstop Madison Hamilton has been practically unstoppable—she’s hitting an amazing .813 (13-for-16!) with four doubles and seven RBI. Infielder Emily Salazar is hitting 50 and leads the team with 12 runs scored. The Cruisers have had three pitchers go at least 10 innings each so don’t be surprised to see several players take the ball in the circle in the title game. Paige Vargas has been the most effective this week, pitching 10 innings with a 0.70 ERA and 11 K’s. She’s only allowed one earned run and just two walks.