MCDONALD'S SWNEWS4U.COM GAME OF THE WEEK (June 30–July 7)
SOFTBALL: Colorado Sparkler 4th of July Tournament
By Jason Nihles, The Platteville Journal
17U Team Heat takes 2nd in 104-team 18U Colorado Sparkler
DENVER, Colo. — The 17U Platteville Team Heat softball team recently traveled to Denver to compete in the annual Colorado 4th of July Tournament.
The Heat blistered the ball to the tune of 141 runs in 10 games, going 9–1 to finish second out of 104 teams in the 18U Sparkler Tournament.
The Heat went 4–0 in pool play July 1–2 with dominating wins over North Carolina Power Surge, 16–8, Colorado Hype, 19–3, Washington’s PNW Force, 19–1, and Southern Colorado’s Teams Hustle, 25–8.
The top two finishers in each of the 17 pools advanced to Mount Elbert double elimination bracket play July 3–4.
Team Heat then beat St. George Utah’s Nation Softball 7–2 and the Minnesota Renegards 12–9 to reach the championship game of the 10-team Mt. Elbert C bracket where they outlasted the Louisiana Blazers Elite, 12–7 to advance to the eight-team single elimination 18U Mt. Elbert Championship Bracket Sunday, July 5.
Team Heat beat the Utah Avalanche Sky 7–2 in the quarterfinals at 8 a.m. and followed that up with an impressive 13–1 semifinal victory over the New Jersey Pride Gold 13–1 at noon.
Team Heat’s incredible run ended with a 15–11 loss to New Jersey Heist Gold in the title game.
The 17U Heat team is made up of girls all from southwest Wisconsin including Platteville’s Mikala Schnering, Fennimore’s Kayahna Furrer and Kylie Cole, Cuba City’s Josie Kruser and Addy Schauff, Iowa–Grant’s Ava Klaas, Richland Center’s Kyree Fisher, Prairie du Chien’s Claire Kennedy’s, Pecatonica’s Greta Schraepfer and Verona’s Morgan Kirwan.
The team combined to bat .506 (164-for-324), slugged 34 homes and scored 141 runs over the five-day tournament.
Platteville’s Schnering hit .486 with three doubles, one triple, one long ball and 10 RBI and participated in the Triple Crown All-American Games on Thursday July 2.
IG’s Klaas hit .516 with six doubles and eight RBIs in the 10-game tournament, while the Cuba City duo of Schauff (.515, 7 HR, 16 RBI) and Kruser (.457, 7 HR, 20 RBI) combined for 14 home runs and 36 RBIs.
Furrer batted a team-high .676 with six doubles, a team-best nine home and 20 RBI. She also went 2–0 with a 4.71 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 16 1/3 innings pitched in the thin air of Colorado.
Cole finished second on the team with a .600 batting average and had one homer and 10 RBI.
Fischer went 6–1 with 47 strikeouts in 32 2/3 innings pitched as Team Heat’s ace, and batted .576 with six homers and 25 RBIs.
Schauff hit .515 with three doubles, two triples, seven homers and 16 RBI, while prep teammate Kruser batted .457 with seven homers and 20 RBI.
Kennedy batted .389 with one triple, three home runs and 12 RBI, and went 1–0 with a 10.0 ERA and eight strikeouts in seven innings pitched.
Both Schnering and Fischer were selected as Triple Crown All-Americans for their play in Thursday night’s All-American Games, when they actually played against each other.
