Aces Fastpitch 18u rebuild lead, fend off rally for second bracket win as TC Nationals heats up

By Jason Hanes

CUMMING, GA -- Aces Fastpitch scored three runs in the sixth inning to break a 2-2 tie, then held off a hard-charging Arizona Hotshots Downey/Isaacson squad 5-3 in an 18U bracket matchup at the TC Nationals on Tuesday afternoon.
 
In a tight game throughout, Aces Fastpitch got on the board first thanks to an RBI triple off the bat of Beth Damon. With Damon off for pinch runner Paityn Engemann, a wild pitch at the plate allowed Engemann to slide in just before the tag to give Aces Fastpitch a 2-0 lead.
 
A strong outing in the circle by Allyssa Parker was backed up by solid defense as Arizona Hotshots Downey/Isaacson was kept off the board until the fifth.

"My defense was awesome," Parker said. "They were on point today. I felt like my drop ball and my change were working well for me and keeping them off balance."
 
Still, after stranding eight runners through the first four innings, Arizona Hotshots Downey/Isaacson punched through for a pair in the fifth. With two runners aboard, Morgan Bragg ripped a two-run double to the fence in left with two out, knotting the game back up at 2-2.
 
In the sixth, Aces Fastpitch would push across the go-ahead runs. A Halle Studer single would lead to a Parker sacrifice bunt to put a runner in scoring position for Olivia Branstetter.

"I just knew I had to put the ball in play, and preferably hard," Branstetter said. "At first I was looking out, but I saw (the pitches) coming in, so I had to foul them off."
 
With a full-count offering coming, Branstetter made the adjustment. "When I saw the inside pitch coming, I just opened up and put the ball where it needed to be."
 
Where it needed to be would be the gap in right-center. Branstetter's single would plate Studer for a 3-2 lead, but the adventure on the bases wasn't over for her. Two pitches later, she would take off for second, then moved ahead to third on a throwing error. With the infield in, Branstetter would head towards home on a grounder to short.
 
"I thought the ball was hit softer than it was. I kind of hesitated," Branstetter said.
 
As the throw came home, the runner found herself caught in a pickle. Luckily for Branstetter, the defense was late rotating and she was able to slide into home safely for a 4-2 lead.
 
"It worked out," she said. "Once the catcher came up and threw, I knew I had it."
 
Another run scored a batter later on Emmerson Cope's single, making it 5-2 going to the seventh.
 
Arizona Hotshots Downey/Isaacson (Tempe, AZ) wasn't done yet. A pair of hit batters and a walk loaded the bases with one out. Cope would come in to pitch, getting an infield fly for the second out, but another hit batter forced in a run. The final pitch of the game would be lined right back to Cope in the circle, who made the catch without as much as a flinch to end the game.
 
Based in Lee's Summit, MO., Aces Fastpitch has been all over the country this season. The opportunity to travel and compete in the locales they have seen has been great for the squad. "I love being out here, playing with them and bonding with them," Parker said. "Especially coming from small towns, it's great to come out here and be with them."
 
Now 4-0 in the tournament, Aces Fastpitch moves on to face Mojo Lunsford 18U (Lawrenceville, GA) on Wednesday morning.