By Jason Hanes

After its first loss of the tournament, Birmingham Thunderbolts Premier – 2027 Alford took advantage of a second chance at a victory, scoring three first inning runs en route to a 7-0 championship victory over Team NC – Newell in 12U at the Myrtle Beach Summer Nationals Sunday afternoon.

“This team has a lot of grit,” said head coach Fredrick Alford. “They’re solid and have a lot of fight. The three early runs were big.”

Playing as the visiting team in the decisive game, Birmingham Thunderbolts got an early lift from starting pitcher Taegan Lermann. With a runner on second and two out, Lermann doubled down the line in left to plate the first run of the game for her side. One batter later, Kennedy Cuthbert doubled home Lermann to make it 2-0. Milleigh Kate Byrd would then single home Cuthbert for the 3-0 lead.

“We couldn’t be low energy,” said Lermann. “We had to be high and we couldn’t give up.”

The three first inning runs would prove to be all Lermann would need in the circle. While she would give up seven walks, she would give up just three hits while striking out two in five-plus innings of work.

“It was great how positive everybody was,” said Lermann. “We were very energetic. I was trying to change things up with my pitches also.”

“[Taegan] was huge,” said coach Alford. “She did a great job using her offspeed and pitching with a lot of spin and movement.”

Jayde Palmer’s RBI single would make it 4-0 in the second inning. In the third, a single by Bryalee Alford would tack on another insurance run. The score rolled at 5-0 until the sixth, when a throwing error brought in a run, then Asher Thompson’s RBI single tacked on the seventh tally of the game.

Team NC – Newell forced the decisive game by winning 4-0 over the Thunderbolts in the previous contest. Holland Weisner delivered the biggest blow of the game when she pulled a home run down the line in left for a two-run shot.

However, the fourth game in a day proved to be too much for Team NC – Newell. While it would load the bases in the sixth and final inning due to the time limit, Morgan Maxwell would come in and would officially retire the three batters she faced in a row to deliver a championship to the Thunderbolts.

The Myrtle Beach Summer Nationals marks the end of the season for Birmingham Thunderbolts Premier – 2027 Alford. “They’ve matured a lot in the box and on defense,” coach Alford said. “They’ve made a lot of adjustments and a lot of changes just in development as a whole.”

“This has been a good way to end the season,” said Lermann.

​The desire for summertime escape and the drive to make the most of a championship setting has drawn more than 250 teams to Myrtle Beach, SC., for the 12th annual Triple Crown Summer Nationals fastpitch softball tournament.
 
The final total of 258 teams from 29 states marks the all-time high for the tournament as well as an impressive rebound after the COVID-restricted event in 2020. Teams representing age groups from 12u through 18u will get a five-game guarantee, with some of the region’s most organized and passionate programs taking part on more than 30 fields in the area.
 
The 12u portion of the tournament runs July 22-25, with the rest of the field suiting up from July 28-Aug. 1. The latter group also features the Grand Strand Elite Camp on July 27, with instruction provided by the softball coaching staff at Coastal Carolina University.
 
“We did our best to stay in regular contact with the fastpitch scene in the Southeast; although we couldn’t run the Summer Nationals we wanted to in 2020, we felt sure folks would want to come back in full force,” said TC event director Carrie Rivera. “Fortunately, our partners in and around Myrtle Beach had the same enthusiasm to bring the event back to capacity, and we’ve been thrilled to see a record number of teams eagerly get back in the mix.” 
Here are the champions from last year:
 
12u -- Atlanta Vipers 07 Tamborra (Marietta, GA)
14u -- Atlanta Vipers 05 Tamborra (Marietta, GA)
16u -- Lady Dukes Lamar (Cary, NC)
18u -- Virginia Glory Mertz-Griffith (Lorton, VA)
 
Follow the 14u, 16u and 18u schedule with results here:
 
Tourney Machine
 
For the 12u division, follow here for results:
 
Tourney Machine
 
About Triple Crown Sports
 
Based in Fort Collins, CO., Triple Crown Sports has been producing youth, high school and college events for 40 years. TCS runs both the preseason and postseason WNIT basketball events and produces the men’s and women’s DI Cancun Challenge tournaments in November. Triple Crown is also powering “WNIT” concept events in D-I softball (NISC) and volleyball (NIVC), with those two events debuting in 2017. Triple Crown’s PV College Challenge features more than 10 of the top DI college softball teams in the country each year in Puerto Vallarta, MX. Anchored by the 1,000-team Colorado 4th of July event, TC fastpitch tournaments draw the nation’s finest club programs, and hundreds of college coaches attend TCS events for recruiting purposes. TCS produces one of the largest youth baseball events in the world with the Omaha SlumpBuster during the College World Series. The Triple Crown Volleyball NIT has become the top-recruited club volleyball event in the country each February when 650 teams compete in Kansas City, MO.

2021 Southeast Nationals Championship Day Recaps | 14u & 18u Divisions

Two teams came through the loser’s bracket Sunday to claim Elite Championships as Birmingham Thunderbolts 07 won the 14U Championship and Atlanta Vipers Gold – Holbrook won the 18U Championship at the Triple Crown Southeast Nationals in the north Atlanta suburbs.

14U
After an 11-5 win over Atlanta Vipers Sunday morning to earn a shot in the championship game, Birmingham Thunderbolts 07 took an early 5-0 lead over Tampa Mustangs Seymour after an inning and a half. Mustangs Seymour would score three runs in the second, and both teams traded runs in the third. While the middle innings didn’t feature any runs, Birmingham Thunderbolts 07 scored two huge insurance runs in the seventh, thanks in part to an Ava Hodo’s homer that gave her four RBI on the contest.

Tampa Mustangs Seymour would score three runs in the bottom of the last inning on homers by Grace Shaw and Reese Green; however, they would come up one run short as Madilyn Byrd finished off a complete game victory in the circle.

18U
A solid pitching performance in the morning game by University of Georgia signee Jordyn Partain helped Atlanta Vipers Gold 18U – Holbrook to a 10-0 (4) win over Virginia Glory Christiansen-Mertz to set up a rematch in the championship game against a Tampa Mustangs – TJ squad which shut them out Saturday, 1-0.

Sunday’s championship contest would feature more scoring as the game would be tied, 3-3, heading to the sixth inning. With a runner on first, pinch hitter Lyndi Rae Davis (UGA) hit a drive off the fence in left for a double to put runners on second and third. Mackenzie White (Univ. of Louisiana) would then lift a sacrifice fly to bring home Megan Bloodworth with the go-ahead run.

Tampa Mustangs – TJ would load the bases in the sixth but Elena Escobar (North Alabama) would record her second strikeout of the game in relief to get out of the jam. Tampa Mustangs – TJ threatened again in the seventh by putting two runners in scoring position with two out; however, Escobar would induce a pop out and Atlanta Vipers Gold 18U – Holbrook came away with the championship.

Final AthletesGoLive Leaderboard

By Jason Hanes

Championship softball games last for seven innings. As proved true today, the 21st out can be the toughest to get.

Down to its final out, Atlanta Vipers 16U Gold – Tamborra scored twice in the bottom of the seventh to walk off with the 16U Elite Championship at the Triple Crown Southeast Nationals, 7-6, over Georgia Impact Schroyer in the northern Atlanta suburbs.

The inning started with Thalia Martin stroking a single to right, but after a foul out and a pop out, things looked bleak for Vipers – Tamborra. With two strikes on Malayna Tamborra at the plate, Martin took off and stole second, moving to third on a throwing error. “I knew I had to get two bases,” Martin said. “I had to get as much as I could.”

Two pitches later, Tamborra swung and popped up a pitch that landed just behind the circle, over the Impact Schroyer pitcher’s head. A tough play for any of the middle infielders to make, Tamborra would reach first before the throw to tie the game, 6-6.

​“Before the pitch, I was thinking that this is it. Just swing as hard as you can and put it all out there. After I hit it, I knew it wasn’t a very good hit, but I had to hustle it out.”

Savanna Bedell then stepped into the box and had a lengthy battle at the plate that eventually ended with a single back up the middle to move the winning run to second base. “I knew I couldn’t let my team down, so I had to do everything,” Bedell said. “I made sure I wasn’t missing the pitch and I did everything I could.”

With the championship on the line, Nia McKnight stepped up to the plate, quickly finding herself down two strikes. “I knew I had to calm myself down,” McKnight said. “I just thought about the rise ball and staying on top of that, and I did just that.”

McKnight would drive a pitch back into center field, plating pinch runner Karley Fuller from second to give her squad a 7-6 win in the 16U Elite Championship.

“We put it all out there,” Tamborra said. “It was the last straw and we took it.”

Things did not start well for Vipers – Tamborra. Playing in their third game of the day, Georgia Impact Schroyer didn’t show any early signs of fatigue as it scored four runs in the top of the first to grab the lead. Carrie Green singled to start the game, then stole second and made it all the way home on a throwing error to give her side the early edge. An RBI groundout by Eryn Lee and an RBI single by Grace Hixson added to the early tally.

“We knew what we did in the first inning was not Vipers softball,” said head coach Stacy Tamborra. “We knew we were too good to allow that to happen. So we knew we had to come back and fight for each other.”

Bella Faw’s RBI single in the bottom of the first made it 4-1, and Vipers – Tamborra would plate three more to tie the score in the third, two of which came on a double by Martin.

Georgia Impact Schroyer regained the lead on a two-run double by Celan Towers one inning later, but Vipers – Tamborra would make a pitching change to bring in Kyra Aycock. Aycock would allow just two hits the rest of the way, and Faw would come up with another RBI single in the fifth to set the stage for the late-inning dramatics.

“They’ve really had laser focus to stay after it,” Coach Tamborra said. “They’ve wanted to go play great softball, and for each other. We played some really really good teams in Colorado and they learned to fight for each other. I think this team is true family.”

By Jason Hanes

Alexis Camilleri’s two-out chopper inside the bag at third brought home the game-winning run in the Saturday Georgia rain as the Tampa Mustangs Seymour rallied to top Birmingham Thunderbolts 07, 5-4, to reach Sunday’s Championship Game of the 14U Elite Bracket at Southeast Nationals.

“It was a pitching battle for sure,” said Tampa Mustangs Seymour manager Jon Pierce. “You had two kids [in the circle]. You have to play fundamental defense and you have to hit the ball. It’s tough, and it’ll typically be a one or two-run game, but those are the things you’ve got to do to come out on top with a win.”

Down 4-3 entering the sixth and what would prove to be the final inning, Mustangs Seymour scratched together three singles to regain the lead. Ava Blakely started the inning with a single, then moved to second on Hailey Vassalotti’s sacrifice bunt. Karhys Pierce followed with a bouncer up the middle that went off the diving shortstop’s glove and trickled into center to bring in Blakely with the tying run. Pierce would steal second on strike three of the next at bat, setting the stage for Camilleri. She would send a bouncer down the line at third that stayed fair and went into left, bringing home Pierce with the go-ahead run as the rain poured down.

In the bottom of the inning, Presley Harrison would buckle down to get the final three outs of the contest as the rain reached its crescendo midway through the frame. After a pop out was caught, a deep drive to left by Kaileigh Byars was caught for the second out. Harrison’s third and final strikeout of the game would end it as the time limit expired to send Tampa Mustangs Seymour into the championship game.

“I definitely had to have a towel and a rosin bag,” Harrison said. “I just knew whatever I gave up, my defense had me. I felt good about myself and my team was really picking me up”

Tampa Mustangs Seymour would lead for most of the game, taking the lead in the second on Reese Green’s two-run single. In the fifth, Jaida Thomas connected for a solo homer to left to make it 3-0.

Birmingham Thunderbolts 07 rallied back with four runs in the bottom of the fifth to take the lead. A double by Kaylee Goodpaster started the frame, and after a miscue in the field and a walk, the bases were loaded. As the rain came down, chaos erupted on the diamond and in the basepaths as two Thunderbolts would end up scoring with a second ball on the field to make it 4-2. After an out on a lengthy rundown that allowed the Thunderbolts to have runners on second and third with one out, a wide throw to the catcher on a ground ball allowed the tying run to score. Daigle Wilson’s ground ball to second would then bring in the go-ahead run to make it 4-3 for the Thunderbolts.

“That was a really good team,” Harrison said. “Their bats were doing really good. I couldn’t just throw it down the middle and get a strike every time.”

The win puts Tampa Mustangs Seymour in the championship game of the 14U Elite Bracket at 12 p.m. Sunday, whereas other teams will have to play at least one additional game to get to the finale. “It’s a little easier with our pitchers. It’s easier on the pitching side so we’ll be able to come in with two fresh pitchers,” said Pierce.

“I feel like we can do it,” Harrison said. “I think we’re going to be rested up and ready to go.”

Friday |  Triple Crown Southeast Nationals Roundup

Play continued at five softball complexes in the northern suburbs of Atlanta as the second day of the four-day Triple Crown Southeast Regionals continued in three age groups.

18U
Four teams stayed in the Elite winner’s bracket, with games coming Saturday to determine who will have an easier path in Sunday’s Championship Bracket.

Georgia Impact Premier Caymol – The last game of the day to finish at Sharon Springs Park saw Georgia Impact Premier Caymol outlast Virginia Glory Christiansen-Mertz 9-6. Earlier in the day, Georgia Impact Premier Caymol edged Atlanta Vipers – Billings by a 2-1 score.

Tampa Mustangs – TJ – A one-run contest earlier Friday morning went for Tampa Mustangs -TJ over Gainesville Gold McFadyen, 4-3. In the afternoon contest, Tampa Mustangs – TJ took a 3-1 win over EC Bullets Thrash to lock in a spot against Georgia Impact Premier Caymol Saturday morning at 10 a.m.

EC Bullets 18 Gold – Schnute – Only two runs were allowed on the day by EC Bullets 18 Gold – Schnute. After a 9-2 win in Friday morning action, EC Bullets 18 Gold – Schnute earned a 5-0 shutout over Orion Hunter Elite 18U national.

Atlanta Vipers Gold 18U Holbrook – A 16-1 pounding by Vipers-Holbrook in the morning was followed by a 9-3 victory over Prospex Gold 18U in the afternoon contest. Atlanta Vipers Gold 18U Holbrook will face EC bullets 18 Gold – Schnute in the other winner’s bracket semifinal.

Tomorrow’s winners of the semifinal games will advance to a Sunday morning contest at 10 a.m., with that winner earning a spot in the championship game. Losing teams Saturday will have to work through the loser’s bracket for a chance to enter Sunday’s Championship Bracket.

16U
Three of the four teams still alive in the Elite winner’s bracket had to get victories in one-run games in Friday in order to stay In the upper tier.

Atlanta Vipers-05 – Two one-run wins were on the docket Friday for Atlanta Vipers-05. After a 5-4 win over Mojo-Vickery in the morning contest, Atlanta Vipers-05 earned a 4-3 win over GA Impact 22 Schroyer.

Lady Dukes National 2022/2023 – Rabitsch – A noon contest on Friday saw Lady Dukes National 2022/2023 – Rabitsch earn a 2-1 win over Team Georgia 04 Payne. Immediately after on the same field, Lady Dukes National 2022/2023 – Rabitsch earned a Saturday contest against Atlanta Vipers-05 with a 5-1 win over Gorgia Impact Gold Caymol.

Atlanta Vipers-Palazzo – The only team not to need a one-run victory on Friday that’s still alive in the winner’s bracket, Atlanta Vipers-Palazzo took care of Chattanooga Cruisers 04 16U by an 8-0 score in Friday’s first contest. In game two, Atlanta Vipers-Palazzo topped EC Bullets Glenn 16U, 6-2.

Georgia Impact Premier-C Lewis – A pair of tough, one-run wins were needed for Georgia Impact Premier-C Lewis in Friday’s action. After a 4-3 win over Team North Carolina (Hynde), Georgia Impact Premier-C Lewis pulled out a 10-9 win in game two in the highest scoring game of the Elite Bracket. Georgia Impact Premier-C Lewis will face Atlanta Vipers-Palazzo in Saturday’s other winner’s bracket semifinal.

14U
Saturday’s four semifinalists in the Elite Bracket will have two games to play on Saturday, with the winner among the four teams getting a slot in Sunday’s championship game.

MS Thunderbolts-Sheffield 2025 – The only team still in the winners bracket that had to play three games Friday, MS Thunderbolts-Sheffield 2025 started the day by topping Lady Dukes 14U Gold Lamar 7-1. After an 8-6 win over EC Bullets – Maher, MS Thunderbolts-Sheffield 2025 got a shutdown pitching performance for a 9-1 win over Fury Fastpitch 2024-Gooden.

Tampa Mustangs – The Tampa Mustangs scored runs early and often Friday. After a 13-2 win over Chattanooga Cruisers 06, the Tampa Mustangs pulled out an 8-6 win over Atlanta Vipers in the second contest. The win sets up a 2 p.m. game against MS Thunderbolts-Sheffield 2025.

Fury Premier 2024 – Sewell – The only team not to allow a run Friday, Fury Premier 2024 – Sewell picked up a pair of shutout victories, beginning with a 5-0 defeat of High Intensity Elite 14U Barnowsky. In the next contest, Fury Premier 2024 – Sewell shut down Tampa Mustangs – Viruet to the tune of a 2-0 final.

Birmingham Thunderbolts 07 – After a 7-3 defeat of Impact Gold 07 GA Friday, Birmingham Thunderbolts 07 got a strong pitching and defense display to hold down Atlanta Vipers Gold Harris for a 2-1 win to set up a contest Saturday with Fury Premier 2024 – Sewell.

Saturday’s Elite winner’s bracket games start at 2 p.m., with the two winners playing again immediately after to determine who gets a spot in Sunday’s championship game of the double-elimination tournament. 

​By Jason Hanes

Coming in with her team down 3-0 in the first inning, pitcher Jordyn Partain slammed the door for the rest of the way, allowing only a single and a walk while retiring 11 in a row at one point to help Atlanta Vipers Gold 18U Holbrook to a 9-3 win over Prospex Gold 18U in 18U Elite Bracket Play at the Triple Crown Southeast Regionals.

“They win together as a team, and they lose together as a team,” head coach Jason Holbrook said. “They’ve really come together at the right time during the summer. They’ve really been putting in the time hitting, the pitchers have been putting in the extra time pitching. I think they’re hopefully peaking at the right time.”

Nine of the 11 outs Partain recorded consecutively were on balls put in play by Prospex batters. Partain, a University of Georgia commit, was backed by solid defense all over the diamond, with eight of the outs on balls in play coming on ground outs. “I was just trying to get outs in any way I could. A strikeout is great but a ground ball is even better. My defense is great. I really trust them.”

Partain entered after a three-run homer to right-center by Karsi Lentz gave Prospex the early advantage. RBI singles in the bottom of the first by Gatorade Georgia High School Softball Player of the Year Megan Bloodworth and University of Louisiana signee Mackenzie White brought the Vipers back within a run after a frame.

In the second, the Vipers loaded the bases and tied the game on a walk to Ole Miss signee Natalie Ray. White would then lift a sacrifice fly to score the go-ahead run, and when the throw to the infield got away, another run would come in to make it 5-3.

The score stayed the same until the bottom of the fifth, when a throwing error gave Vipers Holbrook a run, and an infield hit by UGA commit Jaydyn Goodwin ended the game with two runs scoring as the time limit expired on the contest.

Partain’s streak of retiring batters ended in the fourth with a walk, but a smooth double play turned by her defense erased the runner from the base. Then, Kyndall Bailey made the defensive play of the game when she dove forward and made a stunning catch in right field to end the inning.

“A play like that just hypes me up,” Partain said. “That would have been a hit if she hadn’t caught that. So I was like, Yes!”

The win gives Atlanta Vipers Gold 18U Holbrook a 10 a.m. contest against EC Bullets 18 Gold – Schnutte. “We just need to be patient at the plate and not chase pitches,” coach Holbrook said. “They’re going to have to be aware of situations. We’ve got to score runs, so they’ve got to have good situational hitting.”

“I feel like we’ve done really well,” said Partain. “We’ve been hitting the ball really well. Our pitching has been doing great. We’ve only given up [eight] runs so far. We just have to keep playing good if we want to keep winning.”

By Jason Hanes

​Some teams don’t play well early in the morning, but Firecrackers Bowen isn’t one of those teams. The 16u squad handled the early wake-up call on the first day of the Triple Crown Southeast Nationals with aplomb, defeating Intensity National KOD/Bodell 4-0 in the opening game before turning around and topping Lady Blues Miller 10-2 in the second half of the Pool L doubleheader.

“We always have the eight o’clock game, so we’re used to it,” said head coach Jessica Bowen. “They always come out early in the morning ready to go. I challenge them with that. Usually it starts with hitting, and everything else follows.”

“I think we’re all just really proud and just really excited,” said catcher Breonn Newbille. “We all want to win, but we had a lot of fun the last two games.”

After a shutout based on pitching and defense in the opener, Firecrackers Bowen scored in every inning of the second game, plating six in the fourth to put the game out of reach. “What I was most impressed with my team was that they weren’t swinging at balls,” Bowen said, “but whenever the balls were pitched in there, we weren’t watching a lot of strikes.”

After manufacturing a pair of runs in the first to hold a 2-0 lead, Firecrackers Bowen would allow a run in the bottom of the inning to make it 2-1. A one-out single in the second made it 3-1, and then a two-out knock by Caitlyn Hall in the third would make it 4-1. 

The fourth inning would see Firecrackers Bowen put the game out of reach with six big runs. The most exciting play came on what seemed to be a harmless pickoff move to first with the bases loaded. Instead, Ava Gurule sprinted home and beat the throw for a straight steal of home.
“Sixty feet is key,” Bowen said. “We work on taking extra bases in practice because an extra 60-feet can make the difference in a ball game.”

“Every tournament we play, we just try to get better with the things we’re struggling [with],” Newbille said. “The last few weekends, we’ve been focusing on trying to get our hitting up, and we have. We all had each other’s backs today. If one person messed up or if one person did good, we all helped each other and told each other we did good. We really fed off of each other hitting-wise.”
​
The wins allowed Firecrackers Bowen to win Pool L and move into the Elite Bracket at the Southeast Nationals. “I’m proud of them. I want to play the best competition we can because if we don’t play the best, that’s not good enough for me,” said Bowen. “I wanted them to be in that top bracket.”

TC Fastpitch World Series: 16u/18u Roundup

SAN DIEGO, CA – After two days of action at the Triple Crown World Series, a handful of teams are showing early muscle as the 18u Gold Brackets A and B take shape.
 
After Wednesday’s games, there are four teams on the highest perch with 4-0 records: West Coast Wolverines (Lincoln, CA), Team Velocity (Tucson, AZ), Arizona Storm Westover (San Tan Valley, AZ) and Athletics Jendro Premier (Wildomar, CA).
 
Teams will fight it out through Friday for a spot in the eight-team Championship Bracket, with the title game scheduled for Saturday at 1:15 p.m.
 
In the 16u division, there are some impressive 4-0 squads, including AZ Steel 05/06 (Marana, AZ), WA Angels (Kennewick, WA), Vendetta AZ (Gilbert, AZ), EC Bullets CA (Temecula, CA), EC Bullets Aguirre (San Diego, CA), Firecrackers Leles (Sacramento, CA), USA Phenom (Oak Park, CA) and Batbusters Cougoule (Los Gatos, CA).
 
The title game for the 16’s is also at 1:15 p.m. on Saturday. One of the hottest hitters in the group is Mackenzie Nervis of Batbusters Gomes Ching, who has two home runs and 13 RBI in just 10 at-bats.

16/18u Schedule & Scores
AthletesGoLive Leaderboard
 
TC Fastpitch World Series:14u Roundup
 
PARK CITY, UT – Undefeated teams through two days of pool play dot the brackets, including Explosion Rollin (Salt Lake City, UT), Heat 06/07 (Springville, UT), AASA Johnson (Roseville, CA), Sno Shock (Snohomish, WA), Dynasty 07 (Santee, CA), Firecrackers Workman (Burbank, CA), Colorado Angels (Erie, CO), Utah Heat (Alpine, UT) and the Vegas Valkyries (Las Vegas, NV).
 
The Gold Bracket championship game is slated for Saturday at 1:15 p.m.

14u Schedule & Scores
AthletesGoLive Leaderboard

​Proving that the sports world is hungry for a return to normalcy, and also on the hunt for something special, Triple Crown Sports will welcome a record 1,000 teams to Colorado’s Front Range for the 4th of July (Sparker/Fireworks) event, slated for June 25-July 4, 2021.
​
Stretching from the northern communities of Fort Collins and Greeley all the way down the I-25 corridor through Denver to Colorado Springs, the 4th of July tournament has rebounded fiercely from the pandemic-related disruptions of 2020 to once again welcome age groups 12u through 18u. The nation’s most competitive and high-achieving club programs will arrive in droves as the TCS fastpitch division puts 33 complexes and 155 fields in motion.

The event has long been a prized destination for college coaches and programs as they look for talent to fortify their rosters. Showcase games as well as tournament play will put athletes in front of more than 500 coaches; added value comes through a series of camps and clinics directed by the coaching staffs from national D-I powerhouses through NAIA and JUCO programs.

New to the 4th of July menu is the TC International Challenge, which kicks off the excitement from June 25-27 at the Christopher Fields complex in Westminster. These 23 teams were built on rosters that give players a unique opportunity to represent their nationalities and will be another recruiting highlight on the schedule.

Tournament officials are gearing up for two powerful convergence moments during the event, on the evenings of June 30 at Christopher Fields and July 1 at Aurora Sports Park. Both nights will feature all-star and power pool games to be broadcast by FloSports along with multiple vendors, food and merchandise options – thousands of people are expected to attend each location.

Other key numbers revolving around the Colorado 4th of July event include:

• 150+ hotel properties
• 50,000+ hotel room nights
• Five umpire assignors
• Nearly 500 umpires
• Over 4,000 games scheduled
• Nearly 15,000 athletes
• 47 states represented 
• 1,400 players in college camps
• 2,000 players in all-star games
  
  

The 12u and 14u Sparkler Juniors brackets will play out in Colorado Springs and north of Denver, respectively. Championship day for all age divisions is Sunday, July 4.
​
“Even as the pandemic sidelined so many teams and kept Triple Crown Sports on hold for months, we kept in contact with our customers and resolutely prepared to make the 2021 4th of July event everything it could be,” said TCS fastpitch event director Stephanie Klaviter. “To welcome back so many loyal customers and break participation records is enormously exciting. We’ve missed the competition and the opportunity to help grow the sport, and we will put all our effort into making these 10 days a powerful, memorable experience for players, parents and coaches.”

“We are pleased to welcome Triple Crown Sports back to our community. There is no question about the significant economic effect that tourism brings, and tournaments such as the Colorado 4th of July add a large boost to our city at a time we so desperately need it in the aftermath of COVID,” said Juliet Abdel, president and CEO of the Westminster Chamber of Commerce. “Attendees spend dollars in gas, food, lodging and retail. This is pivotal to key areas of job creation, revenue for the betterment of our community’s infrastructure needs and our economy, which will ensure business doors stay open and families are taken care of.”
 
“Loveland is thrilled to welcome back the Colorado 4th of July tournament for 2021,” said Chris Bierdeman, group sales coordinator for Visit Loveland. “With the majority of the pandemic restrictions now lifted, we look forward to sharing the beauty of Loveland and northern Colorado with the thousands of players, families, coaches and staff visiting from all over the U.S. The economic impact from an event of this magnitude for a small city like Loveland is huge — that is especially true for our hotels, restaurants, shops and attractions, which really struggled over the past 14 months.”