July 7, 2024
AURORA, Colo. -- A 1-2-3 first inning was definitely not a portent of things to come for Stars National Gleason on Saturday afternoon the Kennedy Sports Complex.
Coach Shaun Gleason’s team had a scoreless opening frame against the Oklahoma Athletics Premier McFadden in a 16u Supplemental Power Pool but exploded for 15 runs in its next three at-bats for a 15-1 victory to qualify for Sunday’s championship bracket.
Emma Evans hit two of the Stars National Gleason’s five home runs — which also included Emersyn Presutty’s grand slam — as the bats remained red hot after an 18-run outburst in the team’s final game Friday.
“We’re really, really working hard to get better each game and it’s starting to show here,” Gleason said. “So far this year, we’ve had a lot of ups and downs and that was a complete game, so that was exciting at this point.”
Now on a good roll, Stars National Gleason will test itself in the championship bracket, beginning with an 8 a.m. contest against Texas Blaze Gold or OC Batbusters Delgado. Three wins would put the New Jersey-based program into the 2 p.m. championship game at Kennedy Sports Complex.
The matchup with Oklahoma Athletics Premier McFadden started quietly, as Stars National Gleason trailed 1-0 after one frame, but it got loud quickly. Catcher and cleanup hitter Ava Jacobs — who followed a grand slam game Friday with a 3-for-3 performance — singled to open the second inning and her pinch runner came home just two pitches later on a blast over the left center field fence from infielder Audrey Ragins.
Addison Miller picked up Stars National Gleason’s third straight hit to force a pitching change and Presutty — the leadoff hitter — would cap a six-run inning with a crushed shot to left center on a 3-2 count with the bases loaded.
Stars National Gleason would knock out two more pitchers in just three at-bats with a relentless offensive approach that reached up and down the lineup.
“For our team, hitting is always contagious,” Jacobs said. “That’s just how we roll. Once one person gets it going, we all get started and zone in. We usually are hot all the way through the lineup.”
Evans smoked a line drive over the center field fence to lead off the third inning and homered again with Presutty aboard after a walk in the fourth inning, which also included a three-run blast from Miller (who was 3-for-3 with 4 RBI).
In all, Stars National Gleason had 15 hits as nine of the 10 players who came to the plate had at least one hit and eight different players scored runs.
“The bats have come to life at the right time of year,” Gleason said. “We’re just being smart hitters.”
In between, Stars National Gleason kept its focus on the circle and on defense.
Starting pitcher Ava Nevius gave up two hits and a sacrifice fly from Emery Halford to Oklahoma Athletics Premier McFadden in the first inning but after that set down seven straight. A reliever also pitched a scoreless final frame and the game ended early by mutual decision.
“Obviously we had a lot of home runs today, but what I’m most proud of was that it was a team effort,” Gleason said. “The players are in the game, supporting each other and communicating with each other after their at-bats. It’s the incidentals, that means a lot to me, and it shows a lot in the outcome.”
Stars National Gleason will try to keep its bats hot in support of a suddenly deeper pitching staff going into the final day of the tournament.
“I have all the confidence in my girls, and we’ve done it before,” Jacobs said. “We’ve done five (in a day) before, so four is light. We’re going to push through.”
