Firecrackers Brashear need all of their 16 hits to get by Beverly Bandits Dorsey

As teams venture deeper into a tournament, some curious minds wonder if anything can be discerned from previous results.

If Wednesday’s matinee between the Firecrackers Brashear and the Beverly Bandits Dorsey was any indication, it would be unwise to make any predictions.

In their first-round games, the two clubs combined to give up one run to the opposition, but the bats would have their say when the two teams met at Huntington Beach Sports Complex.

Middle infielders Alyssa Hernandez and Miranda Gallardo each produced two-run hits with two outs in the eighth inning, and the Firecrackers held on for an 11-9 win in the second round of the 16U Premier bracket.

Shutdown innings were scarce, but the Firecrackers were in need of one after Alycia Flores’ third hit of the game tied the score in the top of the seventh. Carley Brown struck out Sarah Moats with the winning run at second base to send the game to extra innings.

The game went into the international tiebreaker (ITB), giving each team a runner at second base to begin their at-bats. Immediately, the Firecrackers threatened. Bunt singles by Nyomi Jones and Megan Delgadillo loaded the bases. Shaylee Ackerman struck out on a check swing, and Kelly Ryono popped out to third, putting the Firecrackers in danger of squandering a golden scoring opportunity.

Hernandez stepped in, not wanting to make the last out, but also thinking about a phrase that head coach Sean Brashear has ingrained into his team.

“Sean always says, ‘Never fear failure. Embrace opportunity,’” Hernandez said. “This game, I feel like we really showed that on the field.”

Hernandez did her part. The Firecrackers second baseman cracked her third hit of the game, a ground-rule double to left-center that lifted her team into the lead. Gallardo followed with a two-RBI single into shallow right field to make it 11-7.

That was the cushion when the Bandits, from the Columbus, Ohio area, came to bat. Nerves were high. A routine fly out to left was overrun to start the inning, but Jones was able to stop in her tracks, and her last-ditch stab was successful.

Three of the next four batters reached with singles, bringing the winning run to the plate. Hannah Goodwin had three hits coming into the plate appearance, but Brown induced a ground ball to Hernandez at second to end the game.

“For us, it was about keep trying to find the right pitch to hit,” Brashear said. “Get a good pitch to hit, put the ball in play, put some pressure on them, and make them make a play. Ultimately, I guess we made one more play.”

A four-run sixth inning pushed the Firecrackers in front, 6-4. A two-run single by Jacey Bourgeois tied it. Carli Kloss pinch ran for Bourgeois at second base. She would score from second on a bunt single by Jones.

“That was one of those things where I felt like I wanted to create a little havoc, push the envelope,” Brashear said of Kloss breaking for home. “A lot of times on that play, a first baseman will have a tendency to hold the ball to see the play, to know the result.

“We’re taking an educated risk on what most first basemen do in that situation.”

Bourgeois has been battling strep throat, but she hammered the ball throughout the game. Two of her three hits were doubles, and she had a game-high four RBIs.

“I think every inning, we just kept building and building,” Bourgeois said. “We never backed down or stopped fighting. We wanted this one very badly, as with every game.

“Just having tough competition makes us work even harder.”

Bourgeois, Hernandez, and Flores each had three hits. Jones, Delgadillo, and Gallardo added multihit performances.

Riley Zana, Tiara Edwards, and Goodwin had three hits apiece for the Bandits.

Hope Straight’s three-run home run with two outs in the sixth gave the Bandits a 7-6 lead going to the seventh, but the Firecrackers would rally.

The Firecrackers play the Explosion at 10:15 a.m. on Thursday on Field 8 at Huntington Beach Sports Complex. The Explosion have allowed one run through their first two games of the tournament.

Andrew.Turner@latimes.com

Twitter: @ProfessorTurner