COLORADO TRAVEL SOFTBALL ROUNDUP: Area softball players return home after another successful trip in Rocky Mountain state

By Loren Kopff • @LorenKopff on X

Outside of the major national tournaments at the end of July and early August for travel softball players, the next biggest event is the slew of tournaments put on by Triple Crown Sports in the Rocky Mountain state at the end of June through the Fourth of July holiday. The 57^th annual event of the Colorado Fourth of July tournament, which includes the Fireworks and Sparkler tournaments, among other events, saw several area travel ball stars prepare for what’s to come in a few weeks. Then there is the equally popular Louisville Slugger IDT Softball Tournament, now in its 30^th year.

Here’s a recap of how the area’s softball players performed in the land of high elevations and the nation’s 38^th state.

COLORADO FOURTH OF JULY (Denver metropolitan area)

18-U National Power Pool Division (52 teams)

Kayliegh Allen, Gahr High and Peyton Kingery, Valley Christian High

(Yorba Linda) BSC Bengals-Briggs

3-3 in Pool A, tied for third place

Allen, who is committed to the University of Kansas, and Kingery, who is a month away from taking her talents to the University of North Texas, helped their team knock off the (Vacaville) Sorcerers-Walling 8-2 last Saturday in their first playoff game. That set up a meeting with the (Fenton, MI) Turnin2-Robeson/Long later in the day where the Bengals dropped an 11-3 decision.

Allen, who was six of 16 in the eight games played in Colorado with five runs driven in, four doubles, four runs scored and two home runs, went hitless in two at-bats but scored a run. Kingery’s only hit in the tournament came last Thursday in the team’s final pool play game.

Alison Ortega, La Mirada High

(Huntington Beach) Firecrackers-Rico/Brashear

4-1-1 in Pool D, second place

The Firecrackers began playoff action with a 3-0 win over the (Vista) Breakers Lab Gold-Bobby last Saturday afternoon. Later in the day, Ortega, who is committed to Harvard University, started against the (Mocksville, NC) Lady Lightning Gold Demarini Platinum Squad where the team dropped an 8-3 contest. Ortega pitched into the fifth inning and surrendered all eight runs, eight hits, struck out three and walked two. For the tournament, she appeared in six games, pitched just over 23 innings, allowed 33 hits, 15 earned runs, struck out 24 batters and walked three.

18-U Fireworks Power Pool Division (43 teams)

Leah Magana, Gahr

(Carson) Firecrackers-Chavez/Moreno

2-2-2 in Pool A, fifth place

After defeating the (Aurora) Colorado Angels-Quimby/Becker Gold 9-1 last Saturday, Magana and the Fireworks were clipped by the (Cedar City, UT) Southern Thunder Elite 9-8 later in the day. Magana came on as a pinch hitter and did not get a hit in her only at-bat while pitching the final inning and two-thirds, surrendering four hits and four runs while walking three and striking out two.

Maryah McElroy, Gahr

(Downey) Nemesis Elite

3-3 in Pool D, fourth place

The Nemesis went out early in the playoffs, losing to the (Simi Valley) Southern California Choppers-VC 9-1 last Saturday afternoon. McElory went hitless in one at-bat as the Choppers put the game away with a five-run top of the second inning. For the tournament, McElroy went four for 18 with four runs scored and five RBI. Her biggest hit was a three-run home run against the (Castle Pines) CO Bombers National in a 6-3 victory on July 1.

16-U National Power Pool Division (75 teams)

Julianna Rivera, La Mirada

(Riverside) BSC Bengals-Briggs 16R

4-2 in Pool C, tied for first place

The Bengals outscored their pool play opponents 34-8 in tying for the top spot in the pool, then won the 16-U National Power Pool T.V. bracket by defeating the (Lee’s Summit, MO) Top Gun National-JS. That sent the team right into the National Power Pool Championship bracket where the Bengals edged the (Buford, GA) Impact Caymol Premier 2-1 last Saturday morning before facing the (Marietta, GA) Athletics Gold-Tamborra/Hamilton later that evening where they won 12-4. Rivera did not play in that game, but against the (Pearland, TX) Impact Gold-Jazz this past Sunday morning, she went hitless in two at-bats in a 12-3 setback.

Hazel Anglo and Megan Wong, Gahr

(Hacienda Heights) Firecrackers RTY Select

4-2 in Pool J, third place

Three of the four wins in pool play were by a combined score of 39-6 while the other was a one-run affair for the Gahr teammates. When it came time for the playoffs, the Firecrackers dropped a 7-6 decision to the (Omaha) Nebraska Gold ’09 National last Saturday afternoon. The Gold rallied for five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning for the walk-off victory. Wong was hitless in three at-bats in the leadoff spot but scored once and drew a walk while Anglo did not play in the game.

16-U Supplemental Power Pool Division (71 teams)

Rylee Jackson and Skyy Saucedo, Gahr

(Placentia) Firecrackers RTY Premier

2-4 in Pool B, tied for fourth place

After shutting out the (Indianapolis) Indiana Magic Gold 09-Estes/LaMar last Saturday afternoon, the Firecrackers were eliminated by the (Northport, AL) EC Bullets 09-Lyons 10-2 hours later. Both Gahr teammates did not play in the first game and Saucedo was hitless in her only at-bat. For the trip to Colorado, Jackson was one for five in four games with a solo home run and drew a pair of walks while Saucedo was one for six in six games, scored twice and drove in a run.

Maya Moreau, Gahr

(Fountain Valley) Empire Fastpitch-Ensey

0-6 in Pool H

The Empire Fastpitch went winless in the Rocky Mountain state including a 7-5 loss to the (Salem) Wisconsin Lightning-Eichholz last Saturday. The team was outscored 63-22 in the seven games and Moreau went seven for 16 with four RBI and a home run last Friday against the (Hugo, MN) Midwest Speed.

16-U Sparkler (218 teams)

Noelle Martinez, Cerritos High

(Whittier) Firecrackers-Brashear/Ojinaga

2-1-1 in Pool D, second place

Martinez and her team found much more success in the Mt. Elbert playoff bracket, scoring nine runs each in the first two games before falling to the (San Diego) Firecrackers-Brashear/Hicks/Mallari last Saturday morning. The team bounced back to edge the (Cypress, TX) Hotshots Premier-Barnes 5-4 later in the day to win one of 16 brackets for the first and second place teams in the Sparker Division, home to 218 teams. This past Sunday morning, the Firecrackers faced the (Houston) TSF Elite-Volpe where they lost 6-1.

Zoe Corrales, Cerritos

(Chino) USA Athletics-Cordero/Lopez

1-2-1 in Pool II, fourth place

Corrales and her team won the first two playoff games last Friday by a combined score of 13-2 before falling to the (De Soto, KS) Select Fastpitch-Vasquez 11-5 last Friday evening. The USA Athletics then bounced back to win a pair of games last Saturday before it was a case of déjà vu, falling to the Select Fastpitch 12-3 later in the day in the loser’s bracket. After beginning the tournament hitless in her first six at-bats, Corrales went six for 10 in the last four games with four RBI and two doubles. She scored five runs in the last five games and drew five walks in the 10 games played.

LOUISVILLE SLUGGER IDT (Independence Day Tournament) (Longmont, CO)

Isabella Gonzalez, Gahr

(Long Beach) USA Athletics Gold-Rogers

6-0 in Pool A, Boulder Division

One of the hottest travel team involving all area players saw its 10-game winning streak snapped this past Sunday when it fell to the (Anaheim) Orange County Batbusters-Stith 8-2. During the winning streak, the USA Athletics outscored the opposition 85-17. Gonzalez, who has committed to the University of Reno, started six of those games, worked 19 innings, allowed 21 hits and five earned runs.

Reese and Riley Hilliard, La Mirada

(Anaheim) O.C. Batbusters-Stith

6-0 in Pool E, Boulder Division

The La Mirada sisters, who have committed to Stanford University and the University of Oklahoma respectively, helped their team breeze through the pool play games as it outscored the opposition 87-13. Then in the playoffs, the Batbusters kept the momentum going as they scored 49 runs and allowed eight heading into their contest against the (Bloomfield) NJ Pride-Gold, which ended in an 11-3 victory by Mike Stith’s team.

Mylah Burrowes, Gahr

(Mission Viejo) California Cruisers Gold-Sievers

1-4-1 in Pool E, seventh place, Boulder Division

After defeating the (Pasadena) California Thunder-Levier/Evans 10-6 last Saturday morning, the team was eliminated following an 8-6 loss to the (Seattle) WA Ladyhawks-Simpson later in the day. Burrowes went three for three with six runs batted in and scored three runs in the first game. She also cracked her third home run of the summer, a grand slam on a full count, in the bottom of the fourth inning to put her team in front 9-6. In the second game of the day, the soon to be Gahr junior went two for three, scored twice and hit her second home run of the day. For the tournament, Burrowes went 16 for 34, had 14 RBI, scored 11 runs and hit five home runs.

Choyce Chambers, Aubrielle Ramirez and Rachel Zhang, Valley Christian

(Buena Park) USA Athletics-RML

5-1 in Pool N, tied for first place, Louisville Division

The V.C. trio helped the USA Athletics-RML follow up a stellar pool play session by winning four straight playoff games to reach the championship game this past Sunday against the (La Puente) O.C. Batbusters Legacy-Lara, a 16-U team.

In the 15 games played in the tournament by the USA Athletics, Chambers, who will be taking her talents to Sacramento State University, went 14 for 29, scored 14 runs, drove in 12 teammates, hit five home runs and three doubles. Ramirez, who will be attending Long Beach City College, had a dozen hits in 24 at-bats, scored 11 times, drove in six and had three doubles.

Zhang, who is also one of eight pitchers on the team, went 17 for 34 with a dozen runs scored, 10 RBI and a double. She also pitched 11.2 innings, starting three games, striking out 11 and walking eight batters.