July 5, 2026
By Kyle Koso
AURORA -- A series of preceding games featuring double-digit scores indicated the BSB Bengals-Briggs 16u team was ready for their prime time appearance.
Given center stage Friday night at the Aurora Sports Park, the Bengals jumped ahead early and never allowed room for doubt or debate, ringing up a 10-0 victory over Top Gun National in the 16u Power Pool TV bracket of the 2026 Colorado 4th of July softball event, produced by Triple Crown Sports.
Honesty Romero hit a towering three-run homer in the bottom of the first as the Bengals (Riverside, CA) claimed an early 7-0 lead with 12 batters coming to the plate. Erica Martin added a two-run double in the second, and pitcher Emily Yoon sailed through her assignment, allowing a leadoff single to Adriana Layne and nothing else, notching six strikeouts.
"I knew going into the at-bat I was going to go to work early in the count; the first pitch was a good one, swung, and the ball went. Our offense is what we expected ... it's the Colorado air and the balls fly," said Romero, who also doubled and scored the game's final run in the fourth. "And Emily was just a dog in the circle."
"I knew Top Gun was very good and felt a little bit cautious. But I'm able to hit my spots, so I could trust my pitches," said Yoon, who slammed the door in the first with a three-pitch strikeout. "I knew I could get through the game. So far, our team has been amazing this tournament ... it's a great feeling to be in the circle knowing my team is behind me."
The Bengals won their two other games Friday in the TV bracket by scores of 11-3 and 13-5.
"It's just them being themselves. We focus on having quality at-bats, swinging at their pitches and attacking early. That's been huge for us," said Bengals coach Roseann Briggs. "Emily's confidence, the way she was carrying herself, I knew right off the bat she would come in and deal. She's tough to hit, and we'll play defense behind her.
"There's more stuff to come ... they are growing and learning from mistakes. There is room for more. We concentrate on that steady growth. It's a marathon, and we concentrate on getting 1 percent better every day."
