Many of the top 16U & 18U teams in the country were in So Cal from July 23-30 for Alliance Fastpitch Championship Series 3. Here are some of Saturday’s highlights:
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In 18U Final 4 games:
Nebraska-bound P/1B Emmerson Cope had a two-run homer, South Alanama-bound 3B Olivia Branstetter homered, 2025 P/MIF/3B/UT Allyssa Parker had two RBIs and Cope and Central Florida-committed 2024 P Lydia Coulson combined on a two-hit shutout as Aces Fastpitch Club defeated Fury Platinum X-Higon, 6-0, at Big League Dreams in Chino Hills on Saturday to earn a spot in the AFCS finals.
“We look forward to it,” Aces coach Ryan Taylor said. “They are the returning national champions and we have respect for their players and coaches. It will be high-level play on both sides and we are prepared to compete.”
This will be the Aces’ first appearance in the Tier 1 18U finals.
BYU-committed 2024 LHP Jada Villegas and Arizona-bound LHP Ryan Maddox combined for the win and Oklahoma-bound LHP/OF Ella Parker hit a solo shot and had a two-run homer to power OC Batbusters-Stith to a 6-1 win over Iowa Premier National-Dickel in the other Final 4 game.
The Batbusters are the defending 18U Alliance National champion. They play the Aces in a best-of-3 series, starting at 9 a.m. on Saturday at Cal State Fullerton.
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In 16U Final 4 games:
2026 OF/SS Adelynn Siegel got an RBI single in the top of the 9th inning and 2026 RHP Ella Kate “EK” Smith got 2025 C/SS/3B Meiko Dominguez to hit into a game-ending double play as Impact Gold-Jazz defeated Texas Bombers Gold-Smith, 7-6, in the second game of the 16U Final 4.
Impact Gold-Jazz came out of the loser’s bracket and won the first game against the Texas Bombers, 10-3.
2025 3B/OF Aundrea “Drea” Wilson had an RBI single in the 4th inning to put Texas Glory-Naudin up 3-2 and Central Arkansas-committed 2024 RHP Lucy Crowder went the distance to record the victory as Texas Glory-Naudin battled back from a 7-4 loss to Iowa Premier National-Dickel to win the second game, 4-2, earning a spot in the AFCS finals.
Texas Glory-Naudin faces Impact Gold-Jazz in the finals in a best-of-3 series on Sunday, starting at 9 a.m. at Cal State Fullerton.
“Texas Glory-Naudin is a great team, well prepared,” Impact Gold coach Jazz Jackson-Vesley said. “They have some experience on us. We are mainly first years trying to make a statement.”
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AFCS 3
AT BLD CHINO HILLS
(Saturday, July 29, Results)
18U
FINAL 4
BRACKET A
- OC Batbusters-Stith, 6, Iowa Premier National-Dickel 1
BRACKET B
- Aces Fastpitch Club 6, Fury Platinum V-Higdon 0
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16U
FINAL 4
BRACKET A
- Impact Gold-Jazz 10, Texas Bombers Gold-Smith 3
- Impact Gold-Jazz 7, Texas Bombers Gold-Smith 6
BRACKET B
- Iowa Premier National-Dickel 7, Texas Glory-Naudin 4
- Texas Glory-Naudin 4, Iowa Premier National-Dickel 2
— Carlos Arias, Dugout Chatter (Follow Carlos on Twitter @Los_Stuff and Threads @los_stuff)
