July 18

The team began celebrating the opening ceremonies of the tournament at Free State High School. Later on in the day they welcomed the Lightning, a 16-U team from Churchville, Mary., with a potluck cookout at Centennial Park.

July 19

Games were rained out and postponed until Wednesday.

July 20

The Phenix began their tournament action with a doubleheader beginning at 8:30 a.m. against the Oklahoma All-Stars. The Phenix was tied 1-1 with the All-Star going into the fifth inning. Jordan Van Houtan went 2-2 in the 9-1 loss.

For the second game of the doubleheader, the Phenix faced another team from Oklahoma, the OKC Impact. The Phenix took the Impact to extra innings, but lost 2-1. Van Houtan went 2-3 with a double and left-handed pitcher Audrey Chavez only allowed four hits in the loss for the Phenix.

July 21

Still looking for their first win of the tournament, the Phenix found what they were looking for on Thursday with a 3-2 win over the Midwest Softball team. Chavez scored the winning run and went 2-2 in the contest.

Later on Thursday, the Phenix began bracket play with a 6-3 win over the Sting from Harvard, Ill. Dequesne Sprow was the winning pitcher. Caitlin Brown went 2-3, scoring two runs. Chavez had a double.

July 22

The Phenix began their second day of bracket play with a 8-7 win over Kauai, Hawaii. Chavez was the winning pitcher and Sprow got the save. Van Houtan went 2-2, scoring two runs, and Norte also went 2-2, including a double and scoring two runs.

Norte dealt a five-inning no-hitter in the Phenix’s 8-0 win against the Dakota Fury. Hannah Somers went 2-3, hitting a double and scoring two runs. Both Chelsea Carnagei and Caitlin Bowlin each went 2-3 with a double.

July 23

The Phenix began the weekend with a 6-3 loss to the KC Impact. Norte was the losing pitcher. Somers scored two runs and went 2-3. Van Houtan and Sprow both went 2-3 in the game.

The team that the Phenix had welcomed on Monday was also the team that would hand them their final loss in the tournament on Saturday. The Lightning from Maryland defeated the Phenix 6-3. Sprow earned the loss. Both VanHoutan and Norte went 2-3 in the season-ending loss.

The 16-U Phenix-Fyler team went 4-4 in the American Fastpitch Assn. National “B” Tournament. Out of the 34 teams, which included teams from 13 states, the Phenix finished fifth. The team finished the season with a 29-17 recored. The Phenix placed in the top five of six out of the seven tournaments it played in this summer. Their success included a tie for first in the Johnson County Girls League, with a 9-1 record.

Fyler credits their success in the National tournament and throughout the season to the team effort of players and parents working together so well.