LOVELAND, Colo. – The Panhandle Twisters 14-and-under softball team went to Loveland over the weekend. The weather limited the Blaze Invitational to one day, but the Twisters still went undefeated.

“It’s good for us because when games are canceled, we get a little more rusty,” coach Dan Fox said of still getting three games in on the weekend.

Twisters 11, Blue Jays 5

The Twisters made quick work in their opening game of the day, handling business in three innings. The Gillette Blue Jays scored two runs in the top of the first inning, but the Twisters quickly rebounded to plate 11 runs in the bottom of the first. Gillette scored another three in the top of the second, but Torrington held its 11 runs for the win.

“When you score 10 or more runs, it’s everybody doing good at the plate, not just one or two girls,” Fox said.

HeLena McGaugh had a solid day at the plate, accounting for two of Torrington’s seven hits. She also had two runs and three RBIs. One of her hits came on a home run. Avery Fox and Paityn Homan both had two RBIs, with Fox and Brady Laucomer crossing the plate twice in the win.

Calysta Trevino pitched all three innings for the Twisters, allowing three hits and five runs, two of which were earned. Trevino notched four strikeouts and six walks in the win.

Twisters 16, All-American 7

The Panhandle team took on All-American Fastpitch from Colorado Springs, Colo. All-American plated three runs in the top of the first, but the Twisters exploded for another huge first frame, scoring 14 runs.

“We are a good hitting team and we take pride in our hitting,” Fox said. “When one hit happens, it leads to the next. Our hitting is contagious. We are a team who can score.”

All-American scored one run in the second and three in the third, but another two runs by the Twisters in the second put the game out of reach, ending the game after three innings.

West, Fox, A.J. West and Emily McGaugh all had two hits in the win. The Panhandle finished with 12 hits on the day. Fox and West both had three RBIs, while Brylee Dean kicked in another two RBIs. Laucomer, Fox, Dean, Trevino, Homan and Marly Laucomer all crossed the plate twice in the win. Fox, Brady Laucomer and West all had a double in the win, while West kicked in a triple.

Dean fired off 86 pitches from the mound, allowing two hits, six earned runs and recording three strikeouts. Fox took the mound to get two outs and she did so in eight pitches, recording two strikeouts.

Twisters 7, Thunder 3

The Twisters closed out the day with a win over the Rocky Mountain Thunder from Highlands Ranch, Colo. The Panhandle got the scoring started with a run in the bottom of the first, later adding three runs in the third. Both teams scored two runs in the fourth, putting the score at 6-2 heading into the fifth. The Twisters added another run in the fifth and a score in the sixth by the Thunder was not enough to make up the difference.

“We like to see our pitching and defense keep the other team to 2-3 runs,” Fox said. “I felt we had a great defensive and pitching outing in that third game.”

The Twisters had eight hits in the game, with Fox, Dean and Brady Laucomer each accounting for two. Fox’s two hits were both doubles and she knocked home four runs. Laucomer also had a double in the win. Dean and Trevino had the other two RBI for the Twisters.

Fox pitched all six innings for the Twisters, firing off 83, 65 percent of which were strikes. She allowed seven hits and three earned runs, but she was able to record five strikeouts.

The Twisters now sit at 14-1. They are up to ninth in the national power rankings by USSSA.

“What’s really promising is we aren’t at our full potential yet. We are 14-1, but we can do a lot better,” Fox said. “We don’t want to focus on the rankings, but it shows our accomplishments so far.”

The Twisters are set to take the diamond this weekend in Arvada, Colo. starting with games at 8 a.m., 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday.

“We just want to keep doing what we are doing and getting better,” Fox said. “You use these tournaments to get the kinks out and we are still doing that.”