Pennsville picks up where it left off the night before, completes 10-2 District 3 Senior Softball win over Franklin Twp.
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
FRANKLINVILLE – It may have taken another day and another trip down U.S. 40, but the Pennsville Senior Softball stars finished what they started the day before, saved themselves a game and will play for a district title Thursday night on their own field.
Pennsville put the finishing touches on a 10-2 victory over Franklin Twp. Wednesday that started Tuesday and was suspended for weather after only 14 pitches in the top of the first inning. By completing the victory, they eliminated Franklin Twp. from championship contention in the District 3 Tournament and will now host Elmer in a potential championship doubleheader at 5:45 p.m. Thursday.
Had Franklin Twp. won, Pennsville would have had to play their final pool game against Elmer Thursday with the potential of tiebreakers determining the two championship teams in a title round starting Friday. If Pennsville and Elmer split Thursday, the winner-take-all “if” game will be played Friday.
The Section 4 Tournament starts Sunday in Pennsville.
“I’m relieved,” Pennsville manager Chris Watson said. “This was a huge game because if we did not win this then we’re probably playing on Friday … and nobody wants to play on Friday.”
Pennsville took a 3-0 lead into the restart, but it took them a little while to get started. Their first five batters of the day all struck out against Franklin Twp.’s Iris Chapman and Watson admitted he was “concerned,” but once they got to the top of the order again they started to pull away.
The first four batters in their lineup went a combined eight for 14 with seven runs and eight RBIs. Leadoff hitter Lily Edwards was 4-for-4 with three runs and two stolen bases. Kylie Harris went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer in the third inning and four RBIs. Pitcher Jess Bretz had a two-run single and three RBIs and Bella Rappa hit a homer before Tuesday’s suspension of play.
“I guess that’s just how the top of the order sparks us,” Watson said. “It’s like we need Lily to lead off a night. With all the home run hitters we have on this squad, and there are a lot of them, Lily is like our biggest weapon. She gets on base, she scores.
“We’ve been working on it (the top of the lineup) for years. We put Lily at leadoff three years ago playing Franklin Twp. in sectionals and she took them apart then, too.”
The restart wasn’t without a little drama. Franklin Twp. leveled a protest that the game should be restarted from scratch instead of resuming at the point of suspension. District 3 officials called the Little League Eastern District office for clarification and it was ruled the game would resume from the point of suspension.
It didn’t much matter. Pennsville outscored their hosts 7-2 in the innings that were played Wednesday. They broke it open in the third on Harris’ two-run homer and a two-run double by Savannah Palverento, taking a 7-0 lead.
“It was really important to jump on them early from the start, make sure we get that lead and maintain it,” Harris said. “It shuts the other team down right away so you can back them up more (and) go home early.”
Bretz was strong in the circle. She pitched all seven innings with a pretzel rod in her back pocket, but didn’t go to it once, although she was tempted. Last year during Pennsville’s 17-inning day in the Sectionals, the coaches brought her chicken tenders in the circle to keep her energy up.
Her energy and velocity was up plenty Wednesday. She allowed five hits, nine base runners and struck out 15. She threw 115 pitches, 77 for strikes. Ten of her first 12 outs were strikeouts and she had at least two strikeouts in six of the seven innings.
“The last two years we’ve been here I haven’t been nervous, but today was different because it’s a new team, we have a few new players this year,” Bretz said. “It helped my game today because I knew what I had to do and I had a job.
“I’m feeling this because we have expectations because we went so far last year and for some of the girls it’s their last year so we want to go as far if not farther this year.”
DISTRICT 3 LL SENIOR SOFTBALL
Pennsville 304 201 0 – 10 10 1
Franklin Twp. 000 110 0 – 2 5 2
WP: Jess Bretz. LP: Iris Chapman. 2B: Avery Watson (P), Kylee Harris (P), Savannah Palverento (P), Iris Chapman (FT), Laney Vecchio (FT). HR: Bella Rappa (P), Kylee Harris (P), Riley Hunter (FT).
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