Kloi Tighe literally comes out of left field to save Pennsville Senior Softball Stars in regional; includes World Series field
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
They didn’t name an MVP in the Little League Senior Softball East Regional this week, but if they had, Pennsville manager Chris Watson knows where his vote would’ve gone.
Pitcher Kloi Tighe literally came out of left field to save the Eagles in the circle.
Tighe pitched in all six games of the Eagles’ run to the championship and figured in all six decisions with five wins and a save.
The role, which really went back as far as the state championship game, started as a first responder putting out the fire when ace Jess Bretz ran into command issues early in games. But by the end of the week the rising Gloucester High School junior was the starter and now gives Watson something to think about as the team heads to the World Series in Delaware.
“Kloi’s a warrior,” Watson said. “She will do whatever we ask her to do and because she’s a warrior, she doesn’t complain about it, she just steps up there and does her job. She’s a wrestler, that’s her No. 1 sport and she plays softball with the intensity of a wrestler and we really benefit from it.”
Tighe had always been in Pennsville’s pitching plan, one of four pitchers it has available, but spends most of her time in the outfield when she’s not in the circle. She pitched in only one game in the first two playoff rounds – a 2 1/3-inning relief stint against Middle Twp. in the sectional title game, but she worked the final 2 1/3 in the state final and got the win, then worked a total of 32 innings in Massachusetts, including starts in each of the semifinals and finals.
All three times she came into a game in the middle of an inning at the regionals – twice in the first inning and once after starting the game behind the plate – she got out of the jam without allowing a run. Those hitters were a combined 0-for-7.
“I didn’t think I was going to be able to pitch the whole time, but knowing the team needed it I made sure I was able to,” Tighe said. “I think I know now I can pitch and keep pitching and not get tired until the very end, because I did pitch a lot (in the tournament).”
Tighe got her toughness and endurance as wrestler, a sport her dad initially didn’t want her to play. She caught that bug watching her little brother practice and, finally, one day five years ago when her dad was on a business trip, she jumped right on the mat and neither have looked back.
Now, “he loves that I do both,” Kloi said.
She wrestles on the Gloucester boys varsity team during the season, mostly in the 106-pound class where she posted 10 wins last season (six by pin), but competes for state gold with the girls at 100. She was sixth in the girls tournament two years ago and third last year. Then, of course, she moves onto the softball field in the spring.
“I think the mental aspect (of wrestling) helps (her softball),” she said. “Because I go from rolling around with guys all the time and getting either beat up a lot or battling with them in the room. Battling with them is way different than battling another 12 girls in the dugout.
“It shows me I can never give up and I know I can do it. In wrestling there’s a lot of letdown, but it gets better as I keep working hard towards my goal.”
A Tighe-r’s Tale
| OPPONENT | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K |
| Maryland (WP) | 6.2 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 7 |
| Delaware (WP) | 5.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| Pennsylvania (S) | 1.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Mass. Dist. 4 (WP) | 4.2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Delaware (WP) | 7.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| Rhode Island (WP) | 7.0 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| Totals (5-0, 1.97 ERA) | 32.0 | 33 | 13 | 9 | 4 | 33 |
SENIOR SOFTBALL WORLD SERIES
Roxana, Del.
Pool A
East: Pennsville LL, New Jersey
Asia-Pacific: Negros Occidental LL, Bacolod City, Philippines
Host: Lower Sussex, Delaware
Latin America: Yankees Family Group LL, Guanica, Puerto Rico
Southwest: Texas District 9, Little River-Academy
Pool B
Canada: YYC Softball LL, Calgary, Alberta
Central: Illinois District 17, Beardstown
Europe-Africa: Czech Republic District 1, Prague
Southeast: Vine-Ingle LL, Macon, Georgia
West: Honolulu LL, Hawaii
Pennsville LL Schedule
July 31 – vs. Lower Sussex, 6 p.m.
Aug. 1 – vs Asia-Pacific, 8 p.m.
Aug. 2 – off
Aug. 3 – vs. Southwest, 5:30 p.m.
Aug. 3 – vs. Latin America, 8 p.m.
Aug. 4 – Quarterfinals
Aug. 5 – Semifinals
Aug. 6 – Finals
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