July 7, 2024
LOVELAND, Colo. — Battling for a guaranteed spot in the Colorado Sparkler Junior 14u open Gold Championship bracket, OK Athletics Premier 09 Zodrow and Bombers Gold NTX Futures put on a thriller Saturday afternoon.
The two 14u Gold A bracket Goliaths traded punches throughout, but Addison Dossett’s clutch contributions late ultimately pushed Athletics Premier to victory, 6-5. Along with delivering a massive RBI double in the fourth, Dossett secured the final six outs in the circle.
“You just gotta throw it and trust your defense,” the right-handed relief pitcher said. “If you don’t trust them, it never works.”
Athletics Premier put on an absolute clinic defensively at Loveland’s Centennial Park. Up one run in the sixth, catcher Bella Wilson threw out a runner stealing second, and first baseman Adryen Coker later made a miraculous catch sliding into the fence to end the inning. Both out calls, however, were contested heavily by the Bombers.
“I love my defense,” Dossett said. “They’re the ones that save games.”
Head coach Nick Zodrow would argue that Dossett’s effort was equally impactful.
“She came up big for us,” Zodrow said. “She came in and made some big pitches and clutch pitches. She was big-time today for sure.”
Offensively, Athletics Premier began strong with four runs in the first two innings. Second baseman Payton Maggard (single) and center fielder Bailey Copeland (bases-loaded walk) were each credited with an RBI.
While Maggard and Copeland found success near the top of the lineup, Athletics Premier’s bottom three bats also stepped up. Eight-hole hitter Bailey Summa went 2-for-3 with a run scored, Emmery Hall singled and later scored a run, and Dossett had the clutch RBI double in the fourth.
“We keep our approach the same the whole time: we only swing at our pitch,” Summa said. “We knew that the defense was struggling on ground balls, so our mindset was to get it on the ground, hit it hard and keep it out of the air.”
Bombers Gold NTX Futures totaled seven hits, including a two-run homer by second baseman Bradyn Young. Leadoff hitter/shortstop Kayleigh Pena also enjoyed a strong game with two singles, one RBI, one run scored and a stolen base.
Still alive in the Gold A bracket, Bombers Gold NTX Futures needs a win over Finch’s Aces Russo to reach the Gold Championship tournament.
Now 6-0-1 in the Colorado Sparkler Junior, Athletics Premier needs three wins on Sunday to earn the 14u Open Gold Championship title. Its first game is set for 10 a.m. at Barnes Complex in Loveland.
“We've been so hyped this whole tournament,” Summa said. “We've just been able to bring that along the whole time.”
