After Saturday's games were cancelled due to wet fields, the USSSA Flamethrower NIT in Central Maryland was reformatted as a one-day tournament. Firebirds 14U-Mrowka were up to the task, using great pitching and defense to win five games during a day in which their last game began 12 hours after their first.
The team jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead against Carmen Fusco Crossfire in the championship game, and held on toe win 4-1. Amy Hartle was brilliant in the circle, giving up just the one earned run while striking out four over 3 IP. Lauren Mrowka had 2 RBI and Katie Ross contributed 1.
Pitching and defense were the hallmarks of the team's day. They committed just three errors over the five games. In the four bracket games, they outscored their opponents 21-4. In those games, Amy Hartle gave up 1 ER while striking out 8 over 6 IP. Hannah Steedman gave up 1 ER and struck out 10 over 7 IP. Hartle, Mrowka, and Ross paced the offense with 6, 4, and 3 RBI, respectively.
