ASA SOFTBALL: Xtreme 18U ends long, successful run with 9th-place finish at premier nationals

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. - The North Idaho Xtreme 18-and-under select softball team, the core of which has been together for nine years, fittingly ended up ninth at the Premier Girls Fastpitch 18U national championships on Thursday.

After beating the San Diego Breakers 6-5 in extra innings earlier in the day, the Xtreme was eliminated by a 7-3 loss to Salt Lake Pegasus.

Against the Breakers, Haley Loffer's two-run double with two outs and two strikes gave the Xtreme the win.

Earlier, the Breakers took a 5-3 lead on a two-run single, but Analisa Raynor threw the batter out trying for second, and the third run didn't count.

Kylie Rasmussen, who drove in two runs, scored on a groundout to pull the Xtreme within a run, then an infield hit by Raynor and back-to-back walks to Jadyn Behm and Devyn Trafari set the stage for Loffer's big hit.

Rasmussen and Martha Tooley drove in the runs for the Xtreme against the Breakers. Bre Burke had to shoulder all the pitching duties on Thursday after the Xtreme's second pitcher came down with food poisoning in the morning.

During the Xtreme group's nine-year run, they won five ASA state titles, was runners-up three times and placed third once. They also won a couple of ASA regional tourneys and finished second at an ASA Western Nationals.