Trying to climb out of the losers bracket at the PGF Nationals can be seemingly impossible task.

After getting knocked into the losers bracket after a loss to the South Dakota Renegades in their second bracket game, Eddy Ketelhut's Beverly Bandits went on a mission to accomplish that enourmous challenge.


Photo: Orlando Jorge Ramirez/USA TODAY Sports

The Bandits proceeded to win nine consecutive games, including five games on Friday at Hungtington Beach Sports Complex to reach the PGF 16U Premier national championship game on Saturday at Deanna Manning Stadium at Bill Barber Park in Irvine, California.



Alabama-bound right-hander Montana Fouts played a huge role for the Bandits, pitching in all five games on Friday to go 3-0 with two shutouts and a save in 25 innings of work.

Fouts began the day by throwing a two-hit shutout with seven strikeouts to avenge the Bandits's loss to the Renegades with a 2-0 victory. Fouts threw 1.1 innings of scoreless relief to get the save in the Bandits' 6-2 win over New Lenox Lightning-Izzo. She then tossed a four-hit shutout with 12 strikeouts to give the Bandits a 6-0 win over Huntsville Sparks Elite to reach the semifinals where they faced Jen Tyrrell's Beverly Bandits, who had beaten Ketelhut's Bandits in ITB on a wild pitch last month at the Boulder IDT.

Fouts went toe-to-toe with Northwestern commit lefty Sydney Supple in a classic pitching duel and, ironically, Ketelhut's Bandits defeated Tyrrell's Bandits in eight innings on a wild pitch. Fouts threw a one-hitter, giving up a solo blast to James Madison commit Jaylin Calvert and finishing with nine strikeouts to get the complete game win.


Photo: Orlando Jorge Ramirez/USA TODAY Sports

That forced a second game against Tyrrell's Bandits with a trip to the national title game on the line and once again Fouts got the start, but she was running out of gas. Fortunately, her teammates came through with plenty of offense. Michigan commit Megan Overaitis went 2 for 3 with a double, a run, and five RBIs; Louisville recruit Eden Mayo went 1 for 3 with a run and two RBIs; Fouts chipped in with an RBI double; and Ketelhut's Bandits used a seven-run outburst in the bottom of the second to cruise to a 9-3 victory to reach the finals. The Bandits will face Athletics-Mercado/Smith on Saturday at 7 PM at Deanna Manning Stadium at Bill Barber Park in Irvine, California.

Athletics-Mercado, the reigning PGF 14U Premier national champion, had a much less dramatic road to the national title game, taking care of Huntsville Sparks Elite 4-2 and So Cal Athletics-Briggs 2-1 to go undefeated throughbracket play into the the finals.

Oklahoma-bound catcher Kinzie Hansen went 3 for 4 with a double and two RBIs against the Sparks, and she drove in two runs in the bottom of the third to give the Athletics the lead against Briggs' So Cal A's.



The Athletics have won 12U and 14U nationals championships together and now they will go after a PGF 16U Premier national title. 

PGF NATIONALS CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE

Where: Deanna Manning Stadium at Bill Barber Park on Saturday, August 5

14U Platinum Division: Firecrackers-Brashear/Oakes vs. Birmingham Thunderbolts 2003, 10:30 AM (Streamed live on FloSoftball.com)
16U Platinum Division: Birmingham Thunderbolts-Dorsett vs. Firecrackers UT-Rollin, 1 PM (Streamed live on FloSoftball.com)
14U Premier Division: Texas Dirt Divas vs. OC Batbusters-Campbell, 4 PM (Streamed live on FloSoftball.com and tape delayed on Fox Sports West Prime Ticket and Comcast)
16U Premier Division: Beverly Bandits-Ketelhut vs. Athletics-Mercado/Smith 1, 7 PM (Streamed live on FloSoftball.com and tape delayed on Fox Sports West Prime Ticket and Comcast).

Written by Carlos Arias
Follow him on Twitter @SoCalSidelines.

Get More From FloSoftball!

Sign up for the FloSoftball newsletter for instant access to: Breaking News, Live Streams, Rankings, Technique Videos and more!