Down 2-0 and facing their last nine outs, Diamond Sports Hotshots-Jones found a good time for a big inning, getting four hits in a five-run fifth inning to take down So Cal Athletics-Medina/Briggs, 5-2, in the fourth round of the winner's bracket at the PGF 12U Premier Nationals on Wednesday at Harvard Park in Irvine, CA.

"We needed to fight to the very end," Hotshots pitcher and three-hole hitter Ava Browns said. "Even though we were down, we could come back."

A’s lefty Joie Steinkamp was shutting out the Hotshots for four innings, but a lead-off hit batter was turned into a big inning as the Hotshots finally started hitting. Four of their seven total hits came in the rally.

Maddox McKee’s two-run double tied the score at 2-2.

"Well, I haven’t really been hitting that well," McKee said, "but I just let (previous at-bats) go and it worked."

Brown offered up a dominant effort in the circle, stopping the A’s with 11 strikeouts, allowing just one hit and unearned runs in the first and third innings.

"Sometimes it gets boring," McKee said when asked how it is to play behind Brown’s pitching. "But it makes her throw way harder when we’re down."

In other winner's bracket games:

Tennessee Mojo 6, Georgia Impact-Lewis 2

The Mojo found themselves again behind and in another nip-and-tuck battle. But like their first game of the day, the Mojo rallied to win, this time over Georgia Impact.

In their earlier game, a fifth-inning rally provided the winning runs against the Birmingham Thunderbolts. In their nightcap, the Mojo got a little help from four Georgia errors, but Tennessee took full advantage, knocking in all six runs they scored.

"These games are really exciting," said Florida State commit Ashtyn Danley, who shares most of the pitching with Mack Huddleston. "That’s what we live for, especially in the circle."

"I think we put everything we’ve done all year into this moment," said Huddleston, who went the distance against Georgia, striking out seven.

Taylor Anderson hit a second-inning home run that gave the Impact a 2-1 lead, but the Mojo got the two back in the bottom of the third and put the game away with two in the sixth. The extra cushion was valuable against a Georgia Impact team that had won their two previous games in their last at-bat.

The Danley-Huddleston duo combined for three hits and Danley knocked in three runs.

OC Batbusters-Mascarenas 5, Beverly Bandits-Yates 1

Ella Parker’s two-hitter carried the night for the Batbusters in a win over the Bandits.

"It’s a great feeling to still be in the winner’s side," Parker said.

Tiara Westbrook capped the game’s scoring with a two-run home run to center and went 2 for 3 in the game.

"I was trying to get us some extra runs and help our pitcher out, because (Parker) had been pitching amazing this whole week," Westbrook said of her homer. “And just to feel it off the bat was amazing."

Along with three other teams that won in the 7:15 games, the Batbusters are two (possibly three) wins from the 12U Premier final.

"It’s a very good experience for us because we learn as a team," Parker said.

"It’s a lot better than we did last year," Westbrook said. "We got knocked out a little earlier, so we’re kind of learning from that, and trying to make it all the way."

Texas Intensity-Cain 6, Texas Blaze-Slimp 1

Emily Delgado delivered another stellar effort in the circle and also helped her cause with the bat as Texas Intensity defeated Texas Blaze. Delgado knocked in the game’s first run and went 2 for 3 at the plate. She has also pitched all four bracket games, winning all of them, including over the Blaze, surrendering just five hits and striking out two. Brooklyn Spencer was the other big bat for Intensity as she had two hits with a double and two RBI.

So Cal Athletics-Medina/Briggs 6, So Cal Breakers 2

Sianni Sakai paced the So Cal A’s offense with a pair of hits, runs, and RBI to lead to a win over the Breakers. Ava Rae Tepesano pitched a complete game, striking out three, allowing six hits and two runs, one earned.

Diamond Sports Hotshots-Jones 12, Explosion-Alaan 0

Mariah Polar’s three hits, three runs and two knocked in led a 12-run and 10-hit attack for the Hotshots to roll in four innings over Explosion. Louisiana Lafayette-commit Mikaylah Williams and Paris Kimble both notched homers.

Texas Intensity-Cain 2, Corona Angels-Rogers 0

In a pitchers duel between Anaya-Marie Togia and Emily Delgado, single tallies in the second and third innings propelled Texas Intensity to a win over the Corona Angels. Delgado pitched a one-hitter, striking out six. Togia allowed two runs, one earned, striking out six.

Texas Blaze-Slimp 5, Corona Angels-Ortega 4

 After a back-and-forth regulation and dramatic eighth inning, Texas Blaze walked off the Corona Angels.

With the scored tied, 4-4, Kenzie Jones’s infield hit knocked in Riley Slimp, who had reached on a two-out HBP. A few moments before, again with two outs, a throwing error past second allowed the tying run to score.

Neither team was successful holding the lead as the Angels led with a first-inning run, Blaze took a fourth-inning lead before the Angels tied in the sixth and went ahead in the eighth on Abby Laskowski’s two-out RBI.

Beverly Bandits-Yates 4, Firecrackers-Brashear 0

The Bandits only scored in one at-bat. But with Reyleigh T. pitching, four second-inning runs were plenty to knock off the Firecrackers. T. struck out 11 without a walk in a one-hitter. Haley Winans and Addie Martin each had two hits and a run batted in for the Bandits.

OC Batbusters Mascarenas 14, Universal Fastpitch 2

Tennessee Mojo 2, Birmingham Thunderbolts-Cahalan 1

The Mojo rallied with two runs in the fifth inning to overtake the Bolts. Ana Roman and Ashtyn Danley had RBI hits in the key fifth inning. Those RBI allowed Danley to win, as she went the distance, striking out seven, allowing just two hits.

Georgia Impact-Lewis 5, Athletics-Mercado/Tidd 2

Tuesday’s eighth-inning heroes Carrie Green and Auburn-commit Kyla Stroud were at it again, each knocking three hits as Georgia Impact defeated the Athletics. Stoud had five runs batted in, including a bases-clearing triple that broke a 1-1 tie in the fourth inning.

Follow Mike Martinez on Twitter @SoCalSidelines.

PGF NATIONALS 12U PREMIER SCOREBOARD

WINNER’S BRACKET A

THIRD ROUND

So Cal A’s-Medina/Briggs 6, So Cal Breakers 2

DS Hotshots-Jones 12, Explosion-Alaan 0

Texas Intensity-Cain 2, Corona Angels-Rogers 0

Texas Blaze-Slimp 5, Corona Angels-Ortega 4

FOURTH ROUND

Diamond Sports Hotshots-Jones 5, So Cal A’s Medina/Briggs 2

Texas Intensity-Cain 6, Texas Blaze-Slimp 1

WINNER'S BRACKET B

THIRD ROUND

Beverly Bandits-Yates 4, Firecrackers-Brashear 0

OC Batbusters-Mascarenas 14, Universal Fastpitch 2

Tennessee Mojo 2, Birmingham Thunderbolts-Cahalan 1

Georgia Impact-Lewis 5, Athletics-Mercado/Tidd 2

FOURTH ROUND

OC Batbusters-Mascarenas 5, Beverly Bandits-Yates 1

Tennessee Mojo 6, Georgia Impact-Lewis 2

LOSER'S BRACKET A

SECOND ROUND

So Cal A’s-Torrones 7, Mizuno Storm 6

Batbusters-Gomes 3, Impact Gold 2024 2

Cal Suncats 7, Cal Breeze 6

Diamond Sports Hotshots-Mitchell 6, LTG 4

Courage 15, Texas Bombers 8

Texas Blaze-Tejada def. Texas Blaze-Soriano

THIRD ROUND

So Cal A’s Torrones 6, Batbusters-Gomes 5

Cal Suncats 3, Beverly Bandits-Michalski 2

Diamond Sports Hotshots-Mitchell 3, NorCal Firecrackers-Baisdon 0

Courage 4, Texas Blaze-Tejada 2

FOURTH ROUND

So Cal Breakers 11, So Cal A’s-Torrones 0

Explosion 5, Cal Suncats 4

Corona Angels-Rogers 5, Diamond Sports Hotshots-Mitchell 4

Courage 4, Corona Angels-Ortega 2

LOSER'S BRACKET B

SECOND ROUND

OC Batbusters-Wellbaum def. Indiana Dreams

Athletics-Mercado/Hovermale 7, Ohana Tigers-Limardo 1

West Bay Warriors 6, So Cal Choppers-Seper 4

Power Surge-Berndes 2, Lady Lightning 1

Ohana Tigers-Quarles 6, Corona Angels-Russ 4

Corona Angels-Perez 1, USA A’s-Siofele 0

THIRD ROUND

Athletics-Mercado/Hovermale 3, OC Batbusters-Wellbaum 0

West Bay Warriors 7, Cal Nuggets 2

Cal Raiders 11, Power Surge-Berndes 1

Ohana Tigers-Quarles 10, Corona Angels-Perez 1

FOURTH ROUND

Athletics-Mercado/Hovermale 4, Firecrackers Brashear 0

Universal Fastpitch 7, West Bay Warriors 2

Birmingham Thunderbolts 2, Cal Raiders 1

Ohana Tigers Quarles 7, Athletics-Mercado/Tidd 3