Big fourth inning propels Wildcats to 16u Championship Bracket

LAKE ELSINORE, Calif. – In a game in which both teams struggled to consistently get anything going offensively, the Wildcats Del Campo/Weil utilized a big fourth inning to pull out a 6-3 victory over the 5 Star PlayMakers Siofele/Mulipola to advance to the 16u Championship Bracket of the TC Nationals.
 
After a couple of one-two-three innings, the Wildcats finally got something going when Savannah Patino hit a ball off the fence for a double. Olivia Clavero then slapped a ball down towards the third base side for an RBI single to give the Wildcats a 1-0 lead and some momentum as the lineup turned towards the top heading into the fourth inning.
 
In the fourth inning, the Wildcats came up big with five hits and four doubles to take command of the game, 6-0. Jocelyn Robles got things started with a single followed by a double from Hannah Moreno to put runners on second and third. Then came the damage. Sammy Vargas got things started with a two-RBI double to make it 3-0, and a couple batters later, Marissa Quintero, the pitcher, helped her cause with a two-RBI double to make it 5-0. Patino came up and knocked Quintero in with her second double of the game, making it 6-0 and putting the Wildcats in complete control of the game.
 
On the mound, Quintero was sharp and held the PlayMakers scoreless through five innings. The PlayMakers finally got on the board when Brooke Goodman laced an RBI double, but it was too little, too late. In the bottom of the seventh inning, the PlayMakers managed to load the bases with one out, but only were able to bring two more runs across on a sac-fly and a double steal attempt before the game was over. The Wildcats now advance to the Championship Bracket of the 16u TC Nationals, while the PlayMakers will take on the Power Surge in an elimination game at 8 am PT on Saturday to make it to the Championship Bracket.