TRIPLE CROWN SPORTS COLORADO TRAVEL SOFTBALL TOURNAMENTS: Area players having success in the Rocky Mountain state during top tournaments

July 2, 2026

By Loren Kopff • @LorenKopff on X

Colorado has always been a hotbed of travel softball tournaments for about a week and a half every summer in late June and through the Fourth of July holiday, and this summer is no different as several area players have been representing their teams in multiple tournaments. The slew of showcase events in the Rocky Mountain state began last Thursday with the Triple Crown International Challenge in Westminster, CO at the Christopher Fields and the P5 Patriot Games in Fort Collins followed by the Triple Crown Sports Colorado Fourth of July Sparkler and Fireworks event throughout the Denver metropolitan area and finally the Louisville Slugger IDT Tournament in Longmont, CO.

Valley Christian High pitcher and right fielder Rachel Zhang, who has one more season left with the Defenders, represented Team Chinese Taipei/Taiwan in the TCIC where it went 1-2 in pool play action, falling to Team Japan 9-3 before edging Team Central America 8-7 last Friday and losing to Team Israel 12-9 last Saturday.

Zhang, who also plays for the (Buena Park) USA Athletics-RML travel team along with V.C. teammates Choyce Chambers (California State University, Sacramento) and Aubrielle Ramirez (Long Beach City College), started in right field and went hitless in one at-bat against Team Japan before picking up a hit and driving in Madelyn Hu with a base it in the bottom of the first inning to give her team a 4-2 lead. Zhang pitched the first two innings, allowing seven runs on four hits, walking four and striking out two.

In the final pool play game, Zhang, who came in as a pinch hitter in the top of the fourth inning, grounded out in her only at-bat.

In Team Chinese Taipei/Taiwan’s first playoff game in the 18-Under Silver Division last Saturday morning, Zhang drew a walk as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the third as her team had no problems with Team Africa, 11-4. That was immediately followed by a 12-2 win over Team Native America in the semifinals. Zhang came in as Hu’s replacement in right field in the bottom of the third and grounded out in the top of the fourth in her lone at-bat.

The win set up a meeting against Team Spain for the Silver Division championship where Zhang started in the circle and surrendered a pair of runs in the bottom of the first thanks to a two-out, two-run home run from Dakota Gaball. Team Chinese Taipei/Taiwan would score solo runs in the third and fourth inning before Team Spain pushed across a pair of runs in the fifth to post a 4-2 victory. Zhang went the distance, allowing seven hits, striking out six and walking a pair of batters, and of her 96 pitches, 63 of them went for strikes.

P5 PATRIOT GAMES at the Barnes Complex in Fort Collins

16-U

Julianna Rivera, La Mirada High

(Riverside) BSC Bengals-Briggs 16R

The Bengals defeated the (Los Alamitos) Wildcats-Holcomb/Knight Premier 9-2 last Thursday before taking two of the next three games to finish in second in their pool. The team then defeated the (Weatherford, TX) Buzz Gold NTX 14-3 last Saturday morning in the first game of the 16-U Wild Card Championship bracket before falling to the (Phoenix) Arizona Storm-Mathis 7-6 in a semifinal contest. In the six games, Rivera went five for 13 with six RBI, three runs scored, a pair of solo home runs and a double.

Hazel Anglo and Megan Wong, Gahr High

(Hacienda Heights) Firecrackers RTY Select

The team split its first two pool play games last Thursday, then lost its two games on Friday before losing to the (Bonner Springs, KS) Select Fastpitch-Byrn 17-2 last Saturday in its lone playoff game.

14-U

Alanna Adams and Fatima Serna, La Mirada

Corona Angels-Tyson

The Angels defeated the (Kennesaw, GA) Athletics Gold -Tambora/Olson 11-5, then won the first two pool play games on Friday by a combined score of 22-3 before tying the (Wonder Lake, IL) Indiana Magic Gold 5-5 to end pool play action later that night. Last Saturday, the Angels defeated the (Chattanooga, TN) Fury Platinum X-Helton/Higdon 10-2 before falling to the (Orland Park, IL) Beverly Bandits-Chow/Hardin 8-3.

Brianna Samano, La Mirada

(Hacienda Heights) Firecrackers RTY Premier Red

The Firecrackers finished in second place in their pool by going 2-1, then lost to the (Alexandria, LA) Impact Gold National-Holmes 7-1 last Friday in a game that had no bearing on the standings. In the playoffs, the team fell to the (Chattanooga, TN) Fury Platinum X-Helton/Higdon 7-6.

Colorado Fourth of July

18-U National Power Pool Division

Kayleigh Allen, Gahr and Peyton Kingery, Valley Christian

(Yorba Linda) BSC Bengals-Briggs

The Bengals began action this past Tuesday against the (Glendale, AZ) Rogue FC Kaye, losing 5-4 and the (Beech Grove) Indiana Magic Gold-Bennett/Goddard, a 4-1 victory. Allen had a base hit and scored against the Rogue while both area players went hitless in a combined five at-bats in the next game. The Bengals then faced the (New Braunfels) Texas Bombers the next day and lost 9-1 before getting a run in the bottom of the fifth inning to edge the (Oklahoma City) OK Athletics-Madden/Davis 7-6. The Bengals faced the (Vista) Breakers Labs Gold-Bobby and the (Bensenville, IL) Chicago Cheetahs-Connolly on July 2.

In 17 games since June 6, Allen, a University of Kansas commit, is currently eight for 29 with four RBI and three doubles while Kingery, who will be taking her talents to the University of North Texas next month, has seven hits in 30 at-bats with seven RBI, three doubles and a pair of home runs.

Alison Ortega, La Mirada

(Huntington Beach) Firecrackers-Rico/Brashear

The Harvard University commit and her travel team faced the (Lees Summit, MO) Aces Fastpitch this past Tuesday and came away with a 2-1 victory as she pitched all five innings, scattering five hits and striking out seven. The team would drop a 12-6 affair to the (Carmel) Indiana Magic Gold-Bennett/Goddard later in the day and had three games this past Wednesday, defeating the (Phillipsburg, NJ) Unity-Torres/Slezak 7-3 and the (Carmel) Indiana Magic Gold-Bennett/Goddard 13-6 before tying the (Fairfax Station) VA Glory National-Willemssen 8-8. The Firecrackers faced the (Vacaville) Sorcerers Gold-Walling and the (Boerne, TX) Bombers Gold American on July 2.

Ortega, the workhorse of the team so far this summer, starting half her teams’ 10 games and pitching over 30 innings, has pitched in four of the five games so far in Colorado, allowing 16 hits and four earned runs while striking out 17 and walking one.

18-U Fireworks Power Pool Division

Leah Magana, Gahr

(Carson) Firecrackers-Chavez/Moreno

Magana’s team opened pool play action this past Tuesday against the (Sacramento) LTG-Jason where the game ended in an 11-11 tie. That was followed by an 11-6 win over the (Frankfort, IL) Chicago Cheetahs. This past Wednesday the Firecrackers faced the (Parker, CO) Batbusters National Black-Smith/Carpenter and came away with a 7-6 victory followed by a 6-6 tie against the (Tomball) Texas Sudden Impact. The final two pool play games were held on July 2 against the (San Marcos) Breakers Lab-Lara and the Las Vegas Blast.

Maryah McElroy, Gahr

(Downey) Nemesis Elite

The Nemesis played the (Murray) Utah Naturals and the (Whitewright) Texas Glory-RWB this past Tuesday, losing both games 14-12 and 11-0, respectively. In the first game, McElroy went one for three, scored twice and drove in a run while reaching another time on a walk. The Nemesis would post a 2-1 win over the (Tualatin, OR) NW Bullets-Qualls this past Wednesday, then defeated the (Castle Pines) CO National 6-3 this past Wednesday. McElroy had one hit in the second game, but it was a three-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning to put the game away.

The Nemesis faced the (Mesa) Arizona Rising-Vela and the Fresno Force Gold on July 2.

16-U National Power Pool Division

Rivera and her team will stay busy after the P5 Patriot Games, making the trip down Interstate 25 from Fort Collins where they faced the (Cumming, GA) Armor Elite Premier-Lynch and the Louisville Lady Sluggers-Heucker/Peyton this past Tuesday. The Bengals lost 12-9 in the first game as Rivera went two for two, scored twice and drove in a run with a solo home run to lead off the bottom of the fifth inning. In the second game, the Bengals showed no mercy in a 25-4 affair as Rivera went two for three, scored twice again and drove in a run.

The next day, the Bengals squared off against the (Shreveport, LA) Gold Culture National and came away with a 12-0 victory. Rivera came in as a pinch hitter in the top of the fourth and doubled on the first pitch she saw. The Bengals would face the (Overland Park, KS) Aces Fastpitch later in the night and their July 2 games saw them face the (Scottsdale) Arizona Rising-Appel/Kobasew and the (Sanford, FL) Unity-Amsler/Johnson.

Also making the trip south were Anglo and Wong where the up and coming young Gahr stars saw their travel team lose to the (Mocksville, N.C.) Lady Lightning Gold Elite 9-6 before edging the (Bonner Springs, KS) Select Fastpitch-Byrn 5-4 this past Tuesday. The Firecrackers would fall to the (Yukon, OK) Epic National-Smith, 10-1 and the (Brentwood, TN) Fury Premier-Robinson, 6-5 this past Wednesday with pool play action concluding on July 2 against the (Buford, GA) Impact-Caymol and the (Friendswood, TX) Apex Gold-Williams.

16-U Supplemental Power Pool Division

Rylee Jackson and Skyy Saucedo, Gahr

(Placentia) Firecrackers RTY Premier

Another pair of up and coming high school stars faced the (Germantown Hills, IL) Premier Fastpitch National-Till and the (San Mateo) Warrior Academy-McDonald/Nicholas this past Tuesday. The Firecrackers lost the first game 10-2 but bounced back to post a 14-2 victory in the next game. Jackson and Saucedo went a combined one for four with a run driven in. This past Wednesday, the team squared off against the (Flower Mound, TX) Athletics Mercado-Frausto, losing 7-2 before bouncing back to get past the (Eureka, MO) Select Fastpitch 15U-Humes 14-11. Jackson had a solo home run in one of her two at-bats in the loss while Saucedo scored twice in the second game. The final two games in pool play action will be on Friday against the (Altadena) California Thunder-Levier/Milton and the (Tucson) Arizona Storm-Sztan.

Maya Moreau, Gahr

(Fountain Valley) Empire Fastpitch-Ensey

Moreau had a double for one of the two hits the Empire Fastpitch had against the (Whittier) Firecrackers-TJ/Pantages in a 9-0 loss, and drew a walk against the (Des Moines) Iowa Premier National-Chronic/Paz in an 8-0 setback this past Wednesday. The team faced the (Roseville) USA Premier National Team-Zepeda and the (Katy) TX Impact Gold National on July 2 and will square off against the (Marlborough, MA) Polar Crush Gold-Capello and the (Hugo, MN) National-Kotzmacher on Friday for the final two pool play games.

16-U Sparkler

Noelle Martinez, Cerritos High

(Whittier) Firecrackers-Brashear/Ojinaga

The Firecrackers began their pool play games this past Tuesday against the (Newton) MA Stars Fastpitch-Navy, a 12-4 conquest, and the (Aurora, CO) Hitstreak-Han, a 10-1 victory. Martinez went one for three and scored once in the first game, then went hitless in one at-bat, but scored once and drove in a run in the second game. The next day, the Firecrackers tied the (Alvin) Texas Bombers National-Farmer 9-9 before falling to the (Booneville) Arkansas Edge-Genesis 7-6. Martinez went two for three, including hitting a home run, drove in a pair and drew a walk in the first game while picking up another hit in the second game.

Zoe Corrales, Cerritos

(Chino) USA Athletics-Cordero/Lopez

Another Cerritos standout and her team lost to the (Crest Hills, IL) Genuwin Reign-KS 10-1 before edging the (Elkhorn, WI) GTS Elite-Herrick 2-1 this past Wednesday. Corrales was hitless in a combined three at-bats but drew a walk in each game. The USA Athletics played the (Thornton, CO) American Freedom-Delgado and the (Vancouver) Washington Wildcats on July 2.