June 28, 2025
By Jack Carlough
FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Led by its pitching, defense and an early blast, Aces Fastpitch took down Texas Glory for the P5 Patriot Games 18U championship on Saturday, 5-2.
Alyssa Parker set the tone with 4 ⅔ solid innings in the circle, holding Texas Glory to five hits and one earned run at the Triple Crown Sports complex’s Red Rocks Field. Cyarah Dotts succeeded the University of Oklahoma commit with an unblemished 2 ⅓ to secure the win.
“Amazing,” Parker said of her championship emotions. “It was really just about doing anything I can to help my team.”
Down 1-0 entering the bottom of the first inning, Aces Fastpitch right fielder Sidney Forrester showed off her power with a three-run home run to left field, scoring center fielder Abreya Perry and Kali Bogart. Two innings later, Forrester picked up another RBI when she singled home Parker for Aces Fastpitch’s fifth and final run.
Pitch speed, spin rate, exit velocity, launch angle and other real-time metrics were tracked throughout the game courtesy of College Sports Evaluation. Forrester’s first-inning blast left the bat at 75 miles per hour and traveled 260 feet.
Aces Fastpitch coach Ryan Taylor was impressed by his players’ ability to let their hard work do the talking throughout the three-day tournament.
“It's just, 'Hey, be who you are,'” Taylor said. “We compete hard. We have a lot of respect for our opponents and the game and come out and have fun with it, because this is the stuff you work for. We practice really hard. We're a team that always meets and practices. We have high expectations of doing the little things right so (that) when you come out here, this is your day.”
Aces Fastpitch’s defense was led by slick-fielding shortstop Ella Carmack, an uncommitted class of 2027 prospect who vacuumed up seven ground balls in the win.
“The first game I let a ball go between my legs, but knowing that that's not the end of the world and being able to bounce back from that and really helping out my pitcher (felt great),” Carmack said.
En route to reaching the championship game, Aces Fastpitch beat Firecrackers Select Rico/Brashear and Select Fastpitch earlier Saturday by a combined 20 runs to reach the championship game.
“It feels good,” Carmack said. “We didn't have the best run a couple of tournaments ago, but we know we're a good team, and we just got to play with confidence and to the best of our abilities.”
Texas Glory downed Epic National (Smith) and Texas Bombers Gold before running into Aces Fastpitch.
Texas Glory third baseman Kennedy Bradley, a University of Florida commit, enjoyed a strong afternoon at the plate with three hits, including two doubles, and an RBI. Uncommitted center fielder Finlee Williams drove in Texas Glory’s other run with a single in the fifth, bringing home shortstop Mackenna Jackson.
Olivia Palumbo, Avery Howerton and Madelyn Doty split time in the circle for Texas Glory. Doty, a University of Texas commit, kept Aces Fastpitch scoreless in the final three innings.
