Pennsville uses a big inning to overcome a rough start, beats host team in quarterfinals of LL Senior Softball East Regionals
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
WORCESTER, Mass. – Pennsville scored its third straight run-rule win of this Little League Senior Softball Regional here Monday night, but you never would have figured it the way it all started.
But given the way the Eagles – we’ll call them that now — swing the bat, maybe you would.
Pennsville beat host Massachusetts District 4 17-5. They fell behind a team that had not scored a run in pool play 5-0 in the second inning, climbed back into it with one rally in the second, then erupted for nine runs in the third inning to finally breathe easier.
“That was a little scary to start,” manager Chris Watson said. “We kind of got punched in the face the first couple innings. We weren’t quite expecting them to have all that they did.
“They had some really good hitters at the top of the order. They had a great pitcher. They seemed like one of the most competitive teams in the region. I don’t know where that came from … It was a battle and a real test. We got caught by surprise, frankly.”
The New Jersey champs now play Smyrna, Del., in the East Regional semifinals Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. They beat Delaware 14-1 Sunday to clinch the No. 1 seed in the Mid-Atlantic pool, but have yet to face the First Staters’ top two pitchers. It was a Delaware team – not this one – that knocked them out of the tournament last year.
Early on, it looked like the Eagles might not even make it back.
The game couldn’t have started in a worse way. Jess Bretz continued to struggle in the circle and was lifted in the first inning for third time here. Mass-D4, who were no-hit in their regional opener and had only five hits in their three pool games, batted around and scored four runs without the benefit of a hit.
Bretz faced six batters, walking three and hitting two. A third run scored when a pitch got away and another scored while Pennsville was throwing it around. They cut down another runner at the plate to keep another run from scoring. The hosts added another run in the second.
In her three regional starts Bretz has faced 16 batters in 2/3 of an inning, but walked six and hit eight. Watson isn’t giving up on his ace because he knows what’s there. Bretz spun three no-hitters and a two-hitter on the road to get here.
“When I warm up I’m having good bullpens and I’m mentally in the game, but, especially today, I wasn’t mentally prepared for the game throughout the day,” Bretz said. “Even before we stepped on the field I was down on myself. I wasn’t in a positive mindset to help my team get where we needed to be. I think it’s the days leading up to it where I’m not confident in myself and I need to fix that.”
Kloi Tighe relieved Bretz again and finished the game. She allowed one run, four hits and struck out three over the final 4 2/3 innings it took to finish it. In her four relief outings behind Bretz this tournament season, including her stint in the state title game, Tighe has thrown 14 innings, allowing three earned runs, walking one and striking out 18.
She also pitched a five-inning, complete-game three-hitter in her regional start against the team Pennsville faces Tuesday.
“When you asked if I was nervous, (it was) a little bit less because I know I have Kloi standing out there in left field ready to come in and show it,” Watson said. “I’m always very confident we can shut things down in a hurry if it doesn’t work out, of course, with our original plan.”
“Having Kloi here means the world to me,” Bretz said. “Last year she had other priorities and she didn’t make it until the States games, so I had the long innings in the sectionals. Having somebody to back me up when I have bad innings or bad days or bad weeks like I’m having right now it’s amazing. We kind of altered her schedule to help us and she’s being very selfless about it. I’m really happy she’s here and I’m sure the rest of our team is really happy she’s here, too.”
After being held scoreless in the first inning by Ava Grant, a left-hander with velocity who had only thrown one inning prior to Monday, Pennsville’s hitters batted around each of the next three innings to regain control of the game. They finished with 14 hits in the game and are batting a whopping .423 for the regional.
Pennsville finally got on the board when Savannah Palverento scored from second on an infield error. The Eagles proceeded to load the bases with two outs and scored three more runs when the hosts misplayed Kylie Harris’ bases-loaded grounder, Bretz drew a bases-loaded walk and Bella Rappa singled.
Fourteen batters came to the plate in the third and there were eight hits. They loaded the bases with one out and before the inning was over Leadoff Lily Edwards and Rappa each had two-run singles, Bretz and Palverento each had two-run doubles and Tighe’s RBI single – her second hit of the inning – completed the scoring. Edwards’ two-run single put Pennsville up for good, 6-5.
“I think I’m more proud of my team for pulling me out of it than I am of (her own hits) because I wouldn’t be able to do it without everyone else backing me up,” Bretz said. “They were clutch hits, but we consistently get the hits when we need them. Whenever we fall behind I trust every single girl in our lineup to get a hit when we need to.”
“They always managed to do that,” Watson said. “They get the energy going and the hitting gets contagious and they start these rallies. It doesn’t matter if there’s no outs, two outs …”
“I never doubted it,” Edwards said. “I know we can come back from any score. We can just pass the bat along. I don’t know how we do it, but we do it.”
Edwards, who drove 13 hours overnight Sunday to rejoin the team after playing in a national travel ball tournament in South Carolina, went 3-for-5 with two RBIs. Rappa was 2-for-3 with three RBIs, Palverento 3-for-4 with two RBIs and Bretz 2-for-3 with five RBIs.
“It’s so good (to be back),” Edwards said. “I missed the energy of the team.”
And she adds a lot to it.
SENIOR MOMENTS: Delaware walked off Massachusetts 5-4, rallying from a 4-0 deficit in the final two innings and ending it with two in the bottom of the seventh … Maryland held off Connecticut 13-11, hold their breath through an eight-run seventh inning. They’ll play Rhode Island, an 13-0 winner over Pennsylvania.
Pennsville 17, Massachusetts D4 5
Mass D4 420 00 – 5 4 4
Pennsville 049 4x – 17 14 1
WP: Kloi Tighe (4-0). LP: Ava Grant. 2B: Savannah Palverento 2 (P), Jess Bretz (P), Mia Girardi (M). HR: Jess Bretz (P).
LITTLE LEAGUE SENIOR SOFTBALL
East Regional, Worcester, Mass.
Pool A (New England): Connecticut (Bristol), Host (Mass D4/Worcester), Massachusetts (Marblehead), Rhode Island (Warwick North)
Pool B (Mid-Atlantic): Delaware (Smyrna/Clayton), Maryland (Havre de Grace), New Jersey (Pennsville), Pennsylvania (Stroudsburg)
Monday’s games
Rhode Island 13, Pennsylvania 0 (Pa. eliminated)
Delaware 5, Massachusetts 4 (Mass. eliminated)
Maryland 13, Connecticut 11 (Conn. eliminated)
Pennsville LL 17, Host (Mass D4) 5 (Host eliminated)
Tuesday’s games
Semifinals
Rhode Island vs. Maryland, 5:30 p.m.
Delaware vs. Pennsville, 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday’s game
Championship, 1 p.m.
Riverview Sports News 