Pictured front row (from left to right): Amanda Loar, Emily Allen, Morgan Yoder, Kacy Carroll, Alex Comonitski. Back row: (L to R): Erelle Sowers, Paige Shelly, Heather Milligan, Nicole Yanni, Becca Shanks, Jenna Gibbons, Bridget Casey, Alyssa Kratz.

The Harleysville Thunderbirds 14U went 6- 1 to capture the ASA Spring Thunder Softball Tournament championship May 22-23.

The Thunderbirds were dominant in pool play, scoring 20 runs in two games as they claimed the No. 1 seed entering the elimination round. Heather Milligan threw a shutout, while Erelle Sowers allowed just a run in the second contest. Sowers, Amanda Loar, Emily Allen and Morgan Yoder each had two-hit games.

The T-Birds earned a 8-3 victory in a rainy elimination-round opener. Kacy Carroll retired 11 consecutive batters in the middle innings. In the third, Yoder drove in a run with a double, followed with singles from Milligan, Sowers and Paige Shelly as Harleysville went up 5-1. The Thunderbirds added another run in the fourth off bunts singles by Loar and Jenna Gibbons.

Against Deep Run, Alyssa Kratz retired 12 of the first 13 batters she face, allowing only a bunt single in the second as the T-Birds won 3-1. Harleysville scored twice in the third on base hits by Shelly and Milligan sandwiching a Yoder double. Harleysville then bested North Penn 4-0 in the winner's bracket final. The Thunderbirds broke a scoreless tie in the fourth with a two-run triple by Sowers and RBI singles from Carroll and Bridget Casey. Kratz struck out seven batters and retired nine straight batters leading into the sixth.

Facing North Penn again in the finals, Harleysville dropped the first game, but rebounded to win the tournament with a 5-1 victory.

In the first contest, North Penn scored three in the top of the first, Alex Cominitski doubled to left center and went to third on a Loar bunt. Milligan came in to pitch in the third, allowing two runners to reach base. Down 4-2 in the seventh, Carroll singled, with Loar following with a RBI base hit. An Allen single loaded the bases, but the T-Birds could not complete the comeback.
Harleysville opened the second game with North Penn by scoring twice in the first off two-out singles from Allen, Yoder and Milligan. Another T-Birds' run came home in the third after a Comonitski single, Loar sacrifice bunt and a passed ball. Milligan allowed a run in four innings in the circle. Kratz pitched in relief, retiring nine of the 10 batters she faced and struck out four. In the sixth Allen and Yoder singled. Milligan tallied her third RBI on a ground out. Sowers added an RBI single.