Rock Gold Manetta, Atlanta Vipers-Wiggins Win Titles in PGF Nationals 18U
Rock Gold Manetta, Atlanta Vipers-Wiggins Win Titles in PGF Nationals 18U
A quartet of national champions emerged from the stacked fields of the PGF Nationals 18U and 16U brackets.
Rock Gold Manetta stood tall in the 18U Premier division, Atlanta Vipers-Wiggins claimed the 18U Platinum and Fusion National-Unruh/Hunt and Sorcerer-Gann won titles in the 16U brackets, as another edition of the PGF Nationals reached a climax July 28-29 in Orange County, California.
Rock Gold Manetta's thrilling win over the Beverly Bandits Conroy headlined Saturday's title rounds, bringing the PGF Nationals 18U Premier bracket to a conclusion.
18U Premier
Beverly Bandits-Conroy came into the July 29 finale having given up just six runs in its first six games.
No opponent could crack through the Illinois-based club's outstanding pitching, but Rock Gold Manetta finally solved what no other opponent could throughout the week during the Championship Round.
And Rock Gold Manetta did so in the most critical juncture, rallying from down 3-1 with four unanswered, decisive runs, including Jacksonville University signee Jasmine Jones' two-run RBI single that made the difference.
Your 2023 18u Premier PGF National Champions! Congratulations, Rock Gold Manetta!?#PGF2023 #playPGF #bestofthebest #thefutureofthegameishere pic.twitter.com/yGMIqs1DWW
— PGF (@PGFnetwork) July 29, 2023
Rock Gold Manetta dominated Bracket B in a fashion much like Beverly Bandits on the A-side, winning all the way to the final round by at least three runs.
18U Platinum
Two runs in the top half of the first inning put the Atlanta Vipers-Wiggins on course to a 6-2 defeat of Colorado Stars-Sakamoto in the 18U Platinum division's title round.
Atlanta Vipers-Wiggins never trailed, and they extended their advantage to 4-0 in the fourth inning when Bayleigh Rouse pounced on a pitch down the middle of the plate. Her swing sent the ball into a gap between center and right field, scoring a run and giving Rouse a triple.
Anslie Pettit was outstanding in the circle, meanwhile, holding the Colorado Stars-Sakamoto at bay through five innings.
16U Premier
California-based Sorcerer-Gann went on a remarkable run of close wins en route to the PGF Nationals 16U Premier title. The Pleasanton club powered its way to the title round with a walk-off homer in a 1-0 nail-biter.
Sorcerer Gann 16u Wins AGAIN!
— Sorcerer Softball (@SorcererSoftbll) July 29, 2023
Bottom 6th HOME RUN for 1–0 WIN!
Headed to the 16u PGF Premier National Championship! pic.twitter.com/8f2NmYR0uL
Sorcerer-Gann continued to conjure up magic in the finale against Select Fastpitch-Salazar, plating three runs in the sixth inning to break a 2-2 tie.
Alana Hernandez's two RBIs in the decisive inning put a bow on the club's championship run, continuing what's been a memorable 2023 season for the 2025 catcher from Ripon, California.
She hit .511 for Ripon High School during the prep season.
16U Platinum
PGF Nationals 16U Platinum division champion Fusion National-Unruh/Hunt's title performance capped an emotional tournament for the club.
Fusion National-Unruh/Hunt played in the memory of Ashton Pryor, an Indiana standout who died in a car accident in February.
— Fusion 16u National Unruh/Hunt (@FusionSB_16Nat) July 29, 2023
With the memory of their teammate inspiring them, Fusion National-Unruh/Hunt topped Utah Freakz, 7-3, in the Championship Round. Fusion set the tone with two runs in the first inning, scored on a pair of aggressive base-running decisions.
Coupled with clutch pitching and defense, the club held a wire-to-wire lead en route to the crown.
"It's awesome. I just...get in the zone, throw my pitches," pitcher Saide Winsett said in her postgame interview. "I love California, I love being down here with my team. It's just amazing."
