Suncats – Lopez 2022 overpowers Impact Gold – 2023 Wright for 16u Sparkler Open victory

By Savvy Rafkin

ARVADA, Colo. – While defense in softball is important, the better offensive team is almost always bound to take home the win.

And in the Wednesday afternoon 16U Sparkler Open Tournament game at Lutz Field in Arvada, the Suncats – Lopez 2022 and Impact Gold – 2023 Wright contest came down to the battle in the batter’s box. 

Impact Gold (Canton, GA) was the first team to get on the board, sporting a single run in the top of the first inning, which would be the only time the team would hold the lead. Impact Gold ultimately fell to the Suncats 7-4.

Despite allowing one run in the first,  the Suncats (Sacramento, CA) jumped on Impact Gold in the second inning and added four runs to their scorecard. And according to Suncats head coach Andy Lopez, a big offensive performance is nothing new for his team.

“We seem to start off pretty strong,” Lopez said. “They’re an aggressive team and we do our best to put the ball in play and put the bat on the ball.” 

And putting the bat on the ball was an understatement for the Suncats. The team knocked four balls out of the park. Katie Marsh, Neva Adams, Avery Cordell, and Danyelle Leyone all left the game with a homer in their pocket. 

Although passing the bat is essential in a ballgame, getting crucial outs is what keeps a team in the lead. 

When Impact Gold hit their  stride in the top of the sixth inning, the Suncats had to keep their defense tight to stay in the lead. 

“We had a pretty good lead, and stayed pretty confident,” Marsh said. “We handled it pretty well. I was confident if we did give up those runs our hitters would be able to come back and make up for them, and we did.” 

After taking home the victory over Impact Gold, the Suncats improved to 2-0 in pool play at Triple Crown's Colorado 4th of July event.