The Hartford Sparx played four games at Sherman Park in Sioux Falls at the state tournament between Friday, July 8th and Sunday, July 10th.  The Sparx split in the four games finishing 2-2.

SD Phoenix 18U 12, Hartford Sparx 2

Hartford allowed seven runs in the bottom of the first inning and couldn’t recover in a 12-2 loss to SD Phoenix 18U on Friday.  The Sparx got the first run of the game in the top of the first on an RBI single by Addy Kramer.  After SD Phoenix scored seven times in the first, they had a run in the second and four more in the third.  Avery Evans had a home run for Hartford in the top of the fourth.

Evans had a home run and an RBI.  Kramer had a single and an RBI.  Grace Harden also had a single.  Harden pitched three innings and allowed five earned runs on three hits and four walks.  Taylor Kunzweiler took the loss pitching two innings and allowed seven earned runs on seven hits and a walk.

Hartford Sparx 7, Yankton Fury Red 18U 3

The Sparx rebounded with a 7-3 win over Yankton Fury Red 18U on Saturday.

Caitlyn Maa had an RBI single for Harford in the top of the first.  Payten Meinke had an RBI single in the top of the second to give the Sparx a 2-0 lead.  Yankton tied the game with two runs in the bottom of the second, and then they took the lead in the bottom of the third.

Hartford had a big five-run inning in the top of the fourth.  Harden brought home two with a double.  Evans followed with an RBI single, and Kramer also had an RBI single.  Maa brought home the final run of the inning with a single.

Harden had three hits, two doubles, and two RBIs.  Maa had two hits and two RBIs.  Karmer added two hits and an RBI.  Evans finished with a single and an RBI.  Riley Morrison and Bryten Roth both had two hits, while Jenna Lueth had a single.  Harden pitched four innings and allowed three runs, two earned, on six hits and two walks with four strikeouts.

Hartford Sparx 2, Fusion Heat 18U 0

In their second game of the day on Saturday, the Sparx got a 2-0 shutout win over Fusion Heat.  Evans had an RBI double, and Kramer had an RBI sacrifice fly in the bottom of the first inning.  Those two runs were enough for Kunzweiler.  She pitched six innings and allowed six hits and two walks while striking out four.

Evans finished with a double and an RBI.  Kramer had two singles and an RBI.  Maa also had two hits, and Harden finished with a single.

Cyclones Red 18U 6, Hartford Sparx 2

The weekend ended for the Sparx on Sunday with a 6-2 loss to Cyclones Red.  The Cyclones scored all six of their runs in the first three innings.  They scored two runs in the bottom of the first, three in the bottom of the second, and one more in the bottom of the third.

Maa had a two-run home run in the top of the fourth for Hartford.  Harden, Karmer, and McKenna Sichmeller all had singles.  Harden pitched two innings and allowed five earned runs on five hits and four walks.  Kunzweiler pitched two innings and allowed an earned run on two hits and a walk.

The Hartford Sparx 18U softball team is currently enjoying a very good 2022 season.  The Sparx finished the month of May with a 7-2 record.  They were 17-9 overall in the month of June for a current record of 24-11.

The Sparx won the Silver Bracket of the Mt Rushmore Classic in Rapid City June 24th-26th.  This tournament was their most recent set of games in their schedule.  They finished 1-2 in pool play.  They defeated Matrix 16-0, but lost to Grand Junction Drillers (9-2) and River City Wolfpack (6-5).  That record put them into the Silver Bracket of the classic.

Hartford Spark 9, Minot Storm Blue 3

The Sparx defeated Minot Storm Blue 9-3 in the opening game.  Hartford scored seven times in the bottom of the third, and then got a single run in the fourth and fifth innings.  Minot scored all three of their runs in the fifth inning.

Riley Morrison had two hits, a triple and double, and three RBIs.  Caitlyn Maa had two hits, one a double, and two RBIs.  Jenna Lueth also had two hits, one a double, and an RBI.  Addy Kramer finished with a double and RBI.  Grace Harden and McKenna Sichmeller both had a single and RBI.  Taylor Kunzweiler had two hits, and Bryten Roth and Payten Meinke each added a single.

Kunzweiler pitched all five innings and allowed three earned runs on two hits and two walks with two strikeouts.

Hartford Sparx 4, SoDak Softball 3

Hartford scored four early runs against SoDak Softball and held on for a 4-3 victory to put them in the championship. The Sparx had a three-run first inning and added another run in the top of the second for an early 4-0 lead.  SoDak Softball got two runs in the bottom of the third and one more in the bottom of the fifth, but Harden got a strikeout to end the game leaving the tying run on third.

Maa had a double and an RBI.  Avery Evans, Kramer, Kunzweiler, Morrison, and Roth all had singles in the game.  Harden pitched all five innings and allowed three earned runs on five hits and four walks with seven strikeouts.

Hatford Sparx 3, CO Diamonds Road 1

The Sparx held CO Diamonds Road to just one hit and took the title with a 3-1 win.  Hartford broke a 0-0 tie with two runs in the bottom of the third inning.  CO Diamonds got a run in the top of the fourth, but the Sparx got that run back in the bottom of the inning.  The Sparx held he Diamonds scoreless in the fifth inning for the win.

Harden had two hits, one a double, and an RBI.  Evans and Maa both had a single and an RBI.  Kramer and Morrison both added a single.  Kunzweiler pitched five innings and allowed just one earned run on one hit with two walks and had five strikeouts.