PGF 2018 Nationals 12U Premier

Athletics Mercado/Hovermale Come From Behind To Beat West Bay Warriors

Athletics Mercado/Hovermale Come From Behind To Beat West Bay Warriors

Athletics Mercado/Hovermale come from behind to beat West Bay Warriors at PGF 12U Premier Nationals.

Jul 25, 2018 by Carlos Arias
The Wait For PGF Is Almost Over

Athletics-Mercado/Hovermale overcame a 5-1 deficit, scoring four runs with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning and walking off with a 6-5 victory over the Westbay Warriors in the second round of the winner's bracket at the PGF 12U Premier Nationals on Tuesday at Harvard Park in Irvine, CA.

Four A’s errors helped dig the Athletics’ hole as the Warriors scored five runs over the fourth and fifth innings. Taya Kelly knocked in three and had two hits for the Warriors.

Karis Ford’s two-run double past the Warriors left fielder tied the game, 5-5, in the bottom of the seventh. The next batter, Alexa Rosales, won the game, plating Ford with a stroke single to right-center.

The rally spoiled a potential-winning effort from Ava Conti, who struck out six and took the Warriors 5-2 lead to two outs in the seventh before the No. 8 and 9 hitters started the Athletics comeback with back-to-back hits.

Ford and Rosales were the stars of the game, combining for five hits, three by Ford, who also scored three times. The big hits helped Rosales off the hook after Warriors tallied three earned runs off Rosales in four innings of relief.

Starter Priscilla Llamas struck out six in only three innings for the Athletics.


In Winner's Bracket A second-round games:

So Cal Breakers 6, Texas Blaze-Soriano 1

Four fifth-inning runs were the big difference in a 6-1 the Breakers win over Texas Blaze.

The Breakers totaled just six hits but it added up thanks to four errors by the Blaze. Just one of the six runs came in earned.

So Cal Athletics-Medina/Briggs 7, Texas Bombers 6

In a game with four ties and two lead changes, the So Cal A's answered the Texas Bombers in the seventh and walked off with the win. The Bombers forged the game’s fourth tie at 6-6, but Paige Heyward led off the bottom of the seventh with a two-strike single and came in on a no-out error across the diamond.

The A's led 3-0 after one inning, but the Bombers slugged their way to a 4-3 lead in the second. Kaylee Blackledge went the distance in taking the loss for the Bombers

Diamond Sports Hotshots-Jones 6, Diamond Sports Hotshots-Mitchell 1

Hotshots-Jones totaled 11 hits, four going for extra bases in the win over Hotshots-Mitchell. Ava Brown opened the scoring for Hotshots-Jones in the first with a two-out solo shot deep to left.

Hotshots-Mitchell tied it in the second, but Hotshots-Jones scored twice in the third and three times in the fifth to win. After her home run, Brown walked three times the rest of the game, scoring once more. Moriah Polar led Hotshots-Jones with three hits, scoring once. Brown also struck out six in just 4 1/3 innings pitched. Sa’Mya Jones was perfect over the last eight outs. 

Explosion-Alaan 4, Grapettes-Kapp/Gann 0

Emily McCoskey’s second straight complete game shutout advanced Explosion over the Grapettes. McCoskey struck out eight Grapettes in a one-hitter with no walks.

The 2-3-4 hitters for Explosion accounted for six of the team’s seven hits, led by Kassandra Rodriguez's three hits and two RBIs. Explosion broke open a close game with three runs in the seventh.

Texas Intensity 2, Beverly Bandits-Michalski 1

Emily Delgado struck out 12 Bandits to lead Texas Intensity to a 2-1 win over the Bandits.

Intensity loaded the bases in their half of the seventh on a double, walk and bunt single, bringing up Townsen Thomas, who walked on a 3-1 pitch to end the game. Delgado went the distance for the win, walking none and allowing just three hits and a run in the sixth.

Elyssa Ruvio led Intensity with three hits and a run scored.

Corona Angels-Rogers 6, Cal Breeze-Buck 1

With stellar pitching that combined on a four-hitter and an 11-hit, six-run attack that broke the game open in the middle innings, the Corona Angels knocked off Cal Breeze.


Victoria Prado pitched five innings before handing the ball to reliever Anaya-Marie Togia for the last two. Prado also tallied a team-high three hits.

Corona Angels-Ortega 3, Impact Gold 2

The Corona Angels scored early, and just enough to get past Impact Gold. Taylour Spencer’s two-run hit in the first inning and leadoff batter Madyson Aguilar’s RBI in the second amounted to a 3-1 lead. Taylor Petty pitched for 4 1/3 innings and Star Cortez for the last two to make that lead hold up.

Cortez had two hits and scored a run for Angels, then pitched a scoreless sixth and seventh innings. The Impact managed just three total hits off Petty and Cortez.

Texas Blaze-Slimp 2, Mizuno Storm 1

Texas Blaze held on to edge Mizuno Storm-Appel. Kenzie Jones took a shutout to the seventh before back-to-back doubles by Alexa Wohr and Kate Vance made it 2-1. But Jones stranded the tying run at second by getting a pop-up to second. Taylor Anderson and Olivia Delgado knocked in runs for the Texans.

In Winner's Bracket B second-round games:

Cal Nuggets 12, Mizuno Storm-Smith 2

Four runs in the first and six in the fourth led the Cal Nuggets to a run-rule victory in four innings over Mizuno Storm. Kaylani Lim, Faith Martinez, and Taylor Christierson all knocked in a pair of runs. Lim had a game-high three hits, almost as many as Mizuno Storm earned off Nuggets starter Chloe Cummings. Cummings pitched four innings, surrendering two unearned runs, striking out one.

Tennessee Mojo 10, Indiana Dreams 2

Two big innings—a five-run third and a four-run sixth—led the Tennessee Mojo to a win over the Indiana Dreams. Indiana led after the first inning, 2-0, but six errors led to six unearned runs for Tennessee. Maddie Rutan tried to keep the Dreams alive with seven strikeouts in five innings. Three Mojo pitchers combined for nine strikeouts.

Birmingham Thunderbolts-Catalan 6, Ohana Tigers-Limardo 0

The Bolts shut out the Ohana Tigers in six innings. Ramsey Montgomery led a combined three-hitter with Montgomery pitching 5 1/3 innings for the win. Three Bolts hitters had two hits and Maddie Terrell and Jaylah Jarrell knocked in two apiece. Skye Limardo kept the Tigers close into the sixth before the Bolts put up five runs to end the game.

Georgia Impact-Lewis 2, Batbusters-Stone 1

Georgia Impact rallied for two runs in the bottom of the seventh to overtake the Batbusters. Alexis Sealey took a shutout into the final frame but only registered one more out as three singles, the last coming from Auburn commit Kyla Stroud, won the game for the Impact.

Beverly Bandits Yates 8, USA A’s Siofele 0

Firecrackers Brashear 2, Ohana Quarles 1

OC Batbusters-Mascarenas 10, Lady Lightning Gold 3

These teams traded early and late, but the Batbusters had bigger numbers and more of them to knock off Lady Lightning.

LLG grabbed the early lead with two in the first inning, but the Batbusters responded with two in the first and four in the second. Leading 7-3 in the sixth, the Batbusters put the game away with three more runs. Zaniah Puni led the Batbusters with three hits. Giselle Alavarez, one spot ahead of her, knocked in three. Six Batbusters had multiple hits, the team notching 14 in all. Christal Lopez pitched the first six innings and struck out five before Ella Parker finished things off.

Universal Fastpitch-Faulstich 11, Ohana Tigers-Natividad 3

Crooked numbers early led to smooth sailing for Universal Fastpitch, which dispatched the Ohana Tigers. Universal struck for five in the first inning and four in the second, eventually adding three in their last at-bat to walk-off in five innings.

Haleia Sweifach, with three hits, led a quintet of players who finished with multiple hits as Universal racked up 15 hits total. With the offensive outburst, Rylei Trujillo needed to record just 15 outs for the complete game win. She did so striking out 6.

Tennessee Mojo 8, Cal Nuggets 2

Tennessee Mojo played a pair of fours in their first two at-bats and cruised to a win over the Cal Nuggets. Tennessee totaled 10 hits in the game, led by Delacia Deleslin’s three hits and three batted in. Mack Huddleston, who also pitched, began the scoring with an RBI triple to right in the first.

The Nuggets racked up nine hits but just two runs.

Birmingham Thunderbolts 6, Choppers-Seper 0

Georgia Impact-Lewis 6, Athletics Mercado 1

Carrie Green and Kyla Stroud combined for five RBI in the eighth inning as Georgia Impact defeated Athletics-Mercado. It was the second win of the day for the Impact in their last at-bat.

Athletics Mercado/Tidd 4, OC Batbusters Welbaum 1


In Loser's Bracket A:

So Cal A’s-Torres 13, NorCal Firecrackers-Kilgore 2

Batbusters-Gomes 10, Atlanta Vipers 9

Cal Suncats 8, Absolute Blast 0

LTG 6, OC Firecrackers-Holcomb 1

Courage 8, Texas Glory 5

Texas Blaze-Tejada 11, So Cal Breakers-Lab 8

Beverly Bandits-Michalski 7, Power Surge 6

NorCal Firecrackers Baisdon def. Grapettes


In Loser's Bracket B:

Indiana Dreams 13, Mizuno Storm-Smith 3

Ohana Tigers-Limardo 11, USA-Mora 1

West Bay Warriors 7, Batbusters-Stone 0

Power Surge-Berndes 10, American Pastime 2

Corona Angels-Russ 3, Choppers-Kam 2

Corona Angels-Perez 1, Firecrackers-TJ 0

Cal Nuggets def. American Freedom Express

Cal Raiders def. Ohana Tigers-Natividad

Follow Mike Martinez @SoCalSidelines.