July 8, 2024
BIRMINGHAM THUNDERBOLTS PREMIER 2027 11, LTG LIONS 2027 4
AURORA, Colo. – The Colorado 4th of July tournament, featuring over 1,100 teams, doesn’t afford a team to an opportunity to relax for even a second during the week-long event. At the end of the day, the Birmingham Thunderbolts Premier 2027 – Alford/Rocky were the last team standing for the 2024 14u National Power Pool Division, capping off a grueling 10-1 week with an 11-4 victory over the LTG Lions 2027 in the Championship game on Sunday afternoon at Aurora Sports Park.
“It’s been a fight,” Head Coach Frederick Alford said. “The best of the best teams are here. We just stayed consistent. Bats came through at times when we needed them. Our pitching was good, and our defense made plays.”
Pressure was the name of the game for the Thunderbolts. After stranding three runners in the first two innings, the Thunderbolts finally capitalized with a three-run inning in the third inning after Ellie Mitchell stretched a single into a double and Nealy McCluskey drove in two runs with a double of her own. Throughout the game, the Thunderbolts were constantly showcasing aggression on the base paths, forcing LTG Lions to be perfect in their defensive play to limit the damage from Birmingham.
“That’s just part of our game,” said Alford about Birmingham’s aggressive base running. “We’re just going to push. If we aren’t pushing, we aren’t doing our job.”
After LTG answered with two runs of its own in the bottom of the third with a two-run home run, Birmingham’s offense once again answered, as it did all week where the Thunderbolts scored at least seven runs in nine of their 11 games for the week.
“We put in a lot of work on offense,” Alford said. “We stay behind them and keep pushing them, understanding that we need to make the most of the pitches that we see and go. We try and loosen them up and let them be more free because in the past we’ve been way more hesitant and kind of guessing.”
The Thunderbolts added four runs in the top of the fourth behind an RBI double from Mitchell and an RBIs from Josie Bohannon and McCluskey. LTG once again responded with two runs in the bottom of the fourth to keep within striking distance of Birmingham, setting up Kennedy Cuthbert for the signature moment in the top of the sixth inning.
Following a scoreless fifth inning, Birmingham loaded the bases for Cuthbert in the top of the sixth inning. Cuthbert, who was seeing the ball well with a single and a double earlier in the game, got the pitch that she was waiting for and launched a towering grand slam to put the game out of reach at 11-4, sealing the championship for the Thunderbolts.
“She’s always been a big hitter for us,” said Alford about Cuthbert. “She’s been pretty hot. She struggled earlier in the week, but she’s really been working and pushing, and she got a hold of one. She’s a good player.”
