The 2020 National Championship season for the USA Softball Girls’ Junior Olympic (JO) Division has come to a close as six teams concluded their season by claiming a coveted USA Softball Girls’ Class A Fast Pitch National Championship. The USA Softball Girls’ 10-Under East (Findlay, Ohio), Girls’ 14-Under (Salem, Va.), Girls’ 16-Under (Chattanooga, Tenn.), Girls’ 16-Under GOLD (Broken Arrow, Okla.), Girls’ 18-Under (Sioux Falls, S.D.) and Girls’ 18-Under GOLD (Oklahoma City, Okla.) each crowned a champion while additional titles were awarded at various Territorial National Championship Finals across the U.S.
At the Girls’ 10-Under Class A East Fast Pitch National Championship, Phantoms went undefeated in bracket play to take home the trophy. Starting with a 2-1 win over Wizards Elite 09 – Smith, the team sealed their spot in the Championship Game with an 8-4 win over Ohio Bulldawgs Elite 10U. The Bulldawgs setup the rematch against Phantoms with a 10-9 win over Wizards Elite, but Phantoms took care of business with a 6-5 win to walk away as the National Champion. Click here for bracket results from the Girls’ Class A 10-Under East Fast Pitch National Championship »
In Salem, Va., it was Georgia Impact – Lunsford who took home the Girls’ 14-Under Class A Fast Pitch National Championship honor. The team forced an “if-necessary” game, coming through the loser's bracket after dropping the winner’s bracket finale contest. En route to their Championship title, Georgia Impact – Lunsford earned four wins, 12-0 over Starz Gold NC 05, 10-5 over Team NC – Haggas, 7-2 over Lady Lightning Gold Futures and 7-3 over Corona Angels – Tyson, before meeting up with Corona Angels FTS 2023 in the winner’s bracket finals. Suffering a 10-5 loss to the Angels, the Impact dropped into the loser’s bracket. Their first contest in the win or go home bracket was a rematch with Corona Angels – Tyson, where Impact edged the Angels, 3-2, to earn a spot in the Championship contest. Needing to win two to go home as National Champions, the Impact did just that. In their first meeting with Corona Angels FTS 2023, the Impact offense exploded for a 16-8 win to force the “if-necessary” game, where the bats stayed alive for a 10-1 victory. Click here for bracket results from the Girls’ Class A 14-Under Fast Pitch National Championship »
Also earning a Girls’ JO National Championship was Tennessee Mojo 04 – Fisher, whose shot at the title was put on the line at the Girls’ 16-Under Class A Fast Pitch National Championship. Going undefeated to earn a spot in the Championship Game, Mojo dropped a one-run decision to Birmingham Thunderbolts 03 to setup a winner takes all, “if-necessary” showdown. The Mojo cruised to the title game after posting six wins, three of which by way of a shutout. The Mojo opened bracket play with a 10-3 win over Indiana Shockwaves – Harvey and continued with an 11-2 win over Maryville Wildcats, an 8-2 win over Atlanta Premier TN 04, a 9-0 win over Batbusters 04 – Dismuke/Ellis and a 6-0 win over Wisconsin Lightning – KS to place them in the winner’s bracket finals against the Thunderbolts, where the team blanked their opponent, 8-0. The Thunderbolts earned the opportunity for a rematch against the Mojo with a 13-2 win over Wisconsin Lightning – KS. In the Championship Game, the Thunderbolts got their revenge with a 3-2 win over the Mojo to force the “if-necessary” game, but the squad could not pull out the final victory as the Mojo took home the title with a 5-2 win. Click here for bracket results from the Girls’ Class A 16-Under Fast Pitch National Championship »
The Girls’ 18-Under Class A Fast Pitch National Championship also saw an “if-necessary” contest, with the SE Flyers capping off their 2020 season with a National Championship title. Going 4-0 through bracket play, the SE Flyers were forced into the “if-necessary” game after dropping a 7-6 decision to South Dakota Renegades in the Championship contest. The SE Flyers started the double-elimination bracket with a 14-1 win over Brookings Outlaws 04, a 9-5 win over South Dakota Renegades, a 6-4 win over KC Zephyrs – Craig and a 7-6 win over Badger Blitz to lock in their spot in the title game. For the Renegades, the team fought through the loser’s bracket after dropping their third bracket play contest to the SE Flyers. The Renegades recorded five victories to secure a spot in the Championship Game and a rematch against the SE Flyers with this meeting going in favor of the Renegades. A one-run decision by the Renegades forced the “if-necessary” showdown with the SE Flyers coming out on top with a 4-3 win to take home the National Championship. Click here for bracket results from the Girls’ Class A 18-Under Fast Pitch National Championship »
The Adult Championship tournaments will close out USA Softball’s 2020 National Championships with the Men’s Super, Class AA and Women’s Open Slow Pitch National Championships (Hendersonville, Tenn.) and the Men’s Major Fast Pitch National Championship (Oklahoma City, Okla.) followed by the conclusion of the 2020 season on Labor Day weekend. To see a full list of Adult National Championships, please visit USASoftball.com.
