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Colorado Sparkler Roundup: Southern Arizona teams compete for national titles

By Javier Morales

Posted on July 5, 2022

Boulder (Colo.) was the site of the mammoth Triple Crown Colorado Sparkler national softball tournaments featuring an array of youth club teams nationally that competed in the last week through Sunday. Numerous teams from Southern Arizona took part in the annual event. The following are results and team information provided to AllSportsTucson.com from club teams. A team can submit their results to us at any time and we will include it in the roundup.

AZ STEEL 07/08 FIGUEROA

NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!! We are beyond proud of AZ Steel 07/08-Figueroa for winning the TC Colorado Sparkler Supplemental Power Pool! The hard work dedication & tenacity of this talented group of young athletes is what defines true champions!Congratulations ladies! Natty Champs Baby! pic.twitter.com/NrTLeSKmCV

— AZ Steel Softball (@AZSteelSoftball) July 4, 2022

AZ STEEL, based in Marana, brought home the Triple Crown Colorado Sparkler 14U Supplemental Power Pool national title (shared with AZ Storm Sheehan). The team won its last six games of the event, including a 6-3 win over Top Gun 14U – Slezak (Arkansas) in the championship game.

Arianna Figueroa went 4 for 4 with two runs, a double and an RBI in the championship game. She was also the winning pitcher, going four innings and scattering four hits with a strikeout.

Laila Ruiz batted 3 for 4 with a run, Molly Herman was 1 for 4 with two RBIs and Aaliyah Pereda finished 2 for 3 with a run and RBI.

Class of 2025 pitcher Amelia Streuber (CDO) ranked first in strikeouts with 45 in the tournament. Figueroa ranked second in wins with five. This is out of a pool of 281 pitchers with stats posted. Herman ranked seventh in hits with 16. Taya Kelly ranked second in runs scored and first in triples with four. Elizabeth Smith ranked fourth in triples with two and Pereda led the team in batting average at .467 and ranked 158 out of 804 hitters recorded.

ROSTER

#70 Amelia Streuber (P/OF/3B)
#2 Arianna Figueroa (P/2B/SS)
#88 Taya Kelly (2B/SS)
#18 Laila Ruiz (1B/OF)
#5 Molly Herman (SS/3B/P)
#7 Aaliyah Pereda (C/OF)
#24 Ashley Gospodarek (OF/1B)
#54 Micaela Collings (P/OF)
#24 Mia Quinonez (3B/OF)
#3 Elizabeth Smith (OF/2B)
#32 Briseis Ramirez (C/OF)
#23 Micaela Valenzuela (1B/OF)
#41 Kelsey Rolls (C/OF)
#4 Lilliana Felix (OF/3B)

COACHES

Rene Figueroa
Jay Gospodarek
Casey Streuber

TUCSON REBELS SELECT 16U

The Tucson Rebels Select team that features many local high school players went 3-4 in the 16U Pike’s Peak bracket of the Colorado Sparkler.

ROSTER

C/1B Abby Jurgens (Catalina Foothills)
3B Addie Noriega (Mountain View)
SS Genon Thomas (Catalina Foothills)
P/1B Jordan Goedel (Salpointe)
UTL Teagan Smith (Rincon/University)
2B/OF Kaitlyn McLaughlin (Tanque Verde)
INF Paige Hammarstrom (Tanque Verde)
OF Valarie Scott (Flowing Wells)
UTIL Rylie Grabau (Mica Mountain)
RF Ella Morse (Sabino)
UTIL Brooke Wild (Salpointe)
LF Payton Green (Salpointe)
C/CF/3B Molli Daley (Salpointe)

COACH

Rich Goedel

DESERT THUNDER CAMPOS 18U

2022 LouisvilleSlugger IDT Boulder TOP 16 💙🌵🌩💙Great week of softball! @DesertThunderSB #lastsummerofdtcampos pic.twitter.com/407U1oN6Ci

— Desert Thunder Campos 18U (@DT_Campos) July 3, 2022

In addition to the Colorado Sparkler event at Boulder last week was the elite Louisville Slugger IDT Boulder Tournament of which Desert Thunder Campos 18U advanced from pool play and finished in the quarterfinal round (top 16) out of 80 teams from all over the country.

Desert Thunder Campos went 8-3-1 overall in the tournament.

In the 3-1 loss to PA Chaos Gold – Spina 18U on Saturday in the quarterfinal round, CDO grad Julia Holt (Howard signee) pitched five innings of shutout relief allowing only four hits with six strikeouts and no walks. Fellow CDO alum Alina Felix (Nebraska) drove in the DT’s lone run with a single.

…and we’re still playing! 💙🌵🌩💙 IDT Boulder Sweet Sixteen #lastsummerofdtcampos pic.twitter.com/24ykALFYyp

— Desert Thunder Campos 18U (@DT_Campos) July 3, 2022

ROSTER

2B Alina Felix, CDO (Nebraska)
OF/1B Bella Porter, CDO (Regis)
P/SS Destanee Nez, CDO (uncommitted)
1B/2B Faith Valenzuela, CDO (Bryant)
C/INF Gianna Payne, Salpointe (uncommitted)
C/3B Haidyn Warner, Ironwood Ridge (Nebraska)
P Jazzy Waddell, San Manuel (Pima CC)
P Julia Holt, CDO (Howard)
INF Julie Lopez, CDO (uncommitted)
OF Mari Asher, CDO (uncommitted)
SS Megan Clark, CDO (Regis)
3B/1B Naya Campos, CDO (Georgetown)
OF Sophie McNally, Cienega (uncommitted)
OF Lauren Smith, Salpointe (George Fox)

COACHES:

Jorge Campos (head coach)
Jay Manino
Danny Felix
Kevin Waddell

SAHUARITA FIRESTORM MEJIA 18U

The Sahuarita Firestorm Mejia 18U team reached the semifinals of the Elite Kennedy 18U championship and compiled a 7-1 record in their time at Colorado.

Savannah Bustamante (Rio Rico High School) went 3 for 3 with a double, run and RBI in the 11-6 semfinal loss to Oregon Titans 18 U. Ailani Rodriguez (Rio Rico) and Jayd Villa (Sahuarita) each hit home runs in the game.

ROSTER

OF/1B Ayleen Lira (Nogales)
INF Ximena Piri (Prof. Jesus Guillermo Coreaga Cruz, Mexico)
C/OF/IF MaFernanda Lerma (Sahuarita)
OF/SS Samantha Alcantar (Rio Rico)
P/IF/OF Jayd Villa (Sahuarita)
C/1B Regina Garcia (Salpointe)
IF/OF Hannah Silvester (Sahuarita)
P/1B Ailani Rodriguez (Rio Rico)
P/OF/IF Alma Garcia (Salpointe)
P/1B Zantelle Rodriguez (Las Cruces)
IF Kealey Myhre (Sahuarita)
IF Monique Bustamante (Salpointe)
OF Savannah Bustamante (Rio Rico)

AZ HOTSHOTS ZAMORA/SOLANO 16U

The Peoria-based club team placed fifth with a 5-3 record in the Fireworks 16U Division during the Colorado Sparkler. The team includes six players from Southern Arizona, including four from Sunnyside.