A look back at the 2022 Alliance Super Cup Presented by: EvoShield

By: Claire Prudhomme

After three stages of play spanning three regions of the country with more than 144 teams competing for the Super Cup Series Championship, three programs have emerged champions. Athletics Mercado Tidd (14U), Impact Gold Jazz (16U), and Texas Bombers Gold (18U) claimed the first-ever Super Cup Series Championship in Aurora, CO June 28-29 hosted by Triple Crown Sports.

The road to the championship was paved through three Super Cup Stages through hard-fought games and impressive victories. Athletics Mercado Tidd 14u earned their title with an overall record of 10-1-1 during the Super Cup Series.

Athletics Mercado Tidd’s journey began with a tie in their opening contest against Firecrackers Brashear/Hicks, 4-4. The Athletics went on to beat Strike Force Jensen 5-3, Suncats Jimenez/Gutierrez 10-2, Corona Angels Tyson 2-1, and Dirtdogs Vasquez 2-1. Their 4-0-1 record secured them a top-four finish in the tournament and advancement to Stage II.

In Stage II, Athletics Mercado Tidd came out strong with two wins against Corona Angels McCullough (17-1) and Firecrackers Brashear Thornburg (6-1). Though the Firecrackers responded beating Mercado 4-5 and handing Tidd’s squad their first loss of the Super Cup. This loss pushed them to dig in for their final game against the Firecrackers, resulting in a 10-2 win. 

After impressive showings during, Athletics Mercado Tidd continued its success in the final games of the Super Cup Series. After beating Texas Bombers Gold HTX National, 20-2, they advanced to beat Texas Bombers Gold (5-1). A forfeit due to scheduling issues canceled the championship match-up and secured Athletics Mercado Tidd the 2022 Alliance Super Cup title.

The Athletics ended Stage III with a team batting average of .404, a slugging percentage of .702, 19 RBIs, three home runs, and a total of 25 runs scored.

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In the 16U division, Impact Gold Jazz claimed Super Cup glory in a similar manner. With an overall record of 8-0-3, their path was highlighted by big wins over fierce competition.

In Stage I, Impact Gold Jazz faced adversity, posting a 2-0-3 record. Jazz’s first two games ended in ties against Centex Buzz Gold (3-3) and Bombers Gold HTX Jones (5-5). Impact Gold Jazz tightened up their game plan and won their next two games of the series, successfully beating Bombers NTX National Owens (10-0) and Texas Blaze United Robertson (2-0); ending Stage I with another tie against Texas Glory Naudin 5-5.

Stage II saw more success for Impact Gold Jazz en route to a 3-0 record and advancing to the final stage of the series. Impact Gold Jazz victories included Centex Buzz Gold (7-0), Bombers Gold National (4-3), and Centex Buzz Gold (7-0).

The final stage of the Super Cup saw an energized Impact Gold Jazz squad ready to compete. Collecting wins over Firecrackers Brashear (8-4), Corona Angels Slye (17-9), and Texas Bombers Gold (6-1) and claiming the first-ever 16U Super Cup championship.

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A sparkling 11-0 record through all three Stages of Super Cup play elevated Texas Bombers Gold 18U to Super Cup gold.

In Stage I, Bombers Gold began its successful campaign collecting five statement wins against Impact Gold National (8-0), Epic Premier Sydney (16-1), Texas Glory Gold (4-1), Glory Adkins Gold (6-0), and Blaze Gold Demarini (6-0).

Advancing to Stage II the Bombers remained perfect securing three additional wins. The first against the New Mexico Suncats Gandert (8-0) and two consecutive victories over Impact Gold National Rodriguez (3-1 & 4-2).

Texas Bombers Gold’s dominance continued through Stage III. Three high-scoring games propelled the Bombers to the championship defeating Iowa Premier Dickel (8-0), followed by a rematch of the 2021 AFCS 18U National Championship again Athletics Mercado/Smith (9-5) and a championship victory over Impact Gold Jackson (11-8).

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The Alliance Super Cup final standings for 18U:
1 Texas Bombers Gold (TFL)
2 Impact Gold Jackson
3 Athletics Mercado Smith
3 Aces Fastpitch
5 Iowa Premier Dickel
5 Corona Angels Tyson
8 Texas Glory
8 Breakers Lab

The final standings for 16U:
1 Impact Gold Jazz (TFL)
2 Texas Bombers Gold
3 Athletics Mercado Hovermale
3 Corona Angels Slye
5 Iowa Premier National
5 Aces Fastpitch
8 Firecrackers Brashear
8 Oklahoma Athletics National Madden/Clemmer

The final standings for 14U:
1 Athletics Mercado Tidd (PCFL)
2 Corona Angels Tyson
3 Texas Bombers Gold
3 Iowa Premier National
5 Texas Blaze United
5 OC Batbusters Stith
8 Aces Fastpitch
8 Bombers HTX Gold National

Learn more about the Super Cup here: https://staging.thealliancefastpitch.com/super-cup/
News and information for Super Cup 2023 coming soon!
Big thank you to our partner in making this happen, EvoShield!