Texas Tens headed to Nationals in Hot Springs

The Texas Tens are on their way to play at Nationals in Hot Springs after coming off an undefeated weekend of play at the Stars and Stripes Classic DFW. Their championship victory included four extra innings on Sunday which ended with the Tens beating the Texas Dragons 12-10.

Keeli Harris, Kammie Terrell and Maya Underwood each had a pair of RBIs in the victory over the Dragons. Hurler Peyton Morgan notched the win on the hill for the Tens as she went the distance as the starter and allowed five runs on eight hits while striking out four.

The Tens scored five times in the top of the 8th inning, and then held off a Dragons charge in the bottom half of the frame to earn the win and the championship. DeKalb’s Hayden Mullins caught a fly ball for the final out in the contest.

The two-day tournament included wins over some of the top teams in USSSA 12 and under fast pitch softball, including a 11-1 win over the Sneaky Cleats in the tournament opener, and another extra inning 7-6 win over Xplosion X on Sunday to make it to the championship game.

The Tens are now ranked as the #1 team in the State of Texas in their division and also #1 in the nation in the United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) B class power rankings.

Their roster includes players from all across Northeast Texas including DeKalb, Hooks, Queen City, Chapel Hill, Rivercrest and Mount Pleasant, Redwater and Sulphur Springs.

Tens Head Coach Lori Harris says, “We don’t have the best stats out there. We’re still classified as 12 & under B class team. We’ve had really good games, and we’ve had really bad games. The main thing I’ve seen over this season is their maturity. 12 – 13-yearold girls can get pretty emotional! Mental toughness and pushing through emotions are things we have really worked on. It has paid off. If they’re down, they don’t let it get to them. They fight back. Their drive, fight, grit, and will to win has really shown. Especially in the latter part of this season. In the last two tournaments, we’ve gone into extra innings with five different teams. Somehow, we’ve come out on top every time. They are finding ways to win. That is something I am very proud of.

Harris defined her lineup of girls by saying, “You couldn’t find a better group of girls to be around. They are very coachable, and they want to play for each other. I absolutely love every one of them.”

The Tens next and final tournament will be July 17-22 in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It’s a FASA (Fastpitch America Softball Association) Nationals tournament. The format of that tournament is there will be three pool games, and then we will be seeded into a double elimination bracket.

Harris states, “I hope and believe that these girls will show up ready to fight.”