Dreary day all the way around ends Pennsville’s hopes at Senior Softball World Series; consolation game set for 5:30 p.m. Saturday
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
ROXANA, Del. — A dreary day ended in a dreary way for the Pennsville Senior Softball All-Stars.
In their flattest, most disinterested outing of the entire tournament, the Eagles were eliminated from contention in the Senior Softball Little League World Series by a 15-1 loss to Honolulu LL in Friday’s quarterfinals.
Their run-rule loss to Texas Thursday night was bad in many ways, but this one was much worse.
They had six hits, 11 errors (although the official stats list only seven) and a general sense of malaise.
“It wasn’t us,” Pennsville manager Chris Watson said. “We weren’t on the field today. It wasn’t Pennsville. That was something else that was carryover from a lot of other personal issues. We just never got past them to be able to play our game and it showed on the field.”
An issue at the team hotel a few hours earlier led to Watson benching two of his best players and battery mates Jess Bretz and Kylie Harris. The action forced a major upheaval in what had been a steady lineup throughout the tournament.
Both players entered the game to hit in the second inning and play the field in the third, but by then the emotional toll had taken hold. The benching potentially could have been longer, but Watson said the players exhibited enough contrition in the dugout in the first inning to show him they had come to terms with the conflict.
Pennsville did answer the run Hawaii scored in the top of the first inning with its makeshift lineup in the bottom half when Savannah Palverento scored from third when second baseman Mya Kishida dropped the ball on Bella Rappa’s stolen base, but it fell behind again in the second and the West champions steadily pulled away.
Pennsville had even more wind taken away in the second. Bretz hit a ball to deep center that centerfield Nikki Chong caught but dislodged as she doubled over the fence. The ball came back into the field of play live, but lead runner Kloi Tighe was in no-man’s land as a runner and was forced at second.
Later in the inning, Lily Edwards beat out an infield single, but Bretz got too far around second, got caught in a rundown and was tagged out on the base paths to end the inning.
The Eagles were punchless at the plate after that. They had only two hits and two runners in scoring position over the final five innings.
“This morning there was a lot of drama that happened and there was no reason for it, considering how it all started to what it turned into,” starting pitcher Tighe said. “We were a family coming into this and we’re not leaving as one, I don’t think.
“We didn’t play like a family because of what happened this morning and I think it’s childish, but we weren’t able to move past it. It never got better. The heads drooped down. Everyone was at each other’s throat,. It didn’t seem like anyone wanted to be there. And it’s a shame.”
The Eagles have a chance for some redemption in a consolation game Saturday at 5:30 p.m. against The Philippines. Pennsville beat the Asia-Pacific champs 7-6 in the game that spilled over into Wednesday morning.
“Hopefully, we’re able to play one more time as a team,” Tighe said. “Tomorrow we owe it to the coaches because they’ve been with us. They didn’t deserve that today.”
Senior Softball LL World Series
Quarterfinals
West 15, East 1
Honolulu LL 112 303 5 – 15 13 1
Pennsville LL 100 000 0 – 1 6 7
WP: Baguio. LP: Tighe. HR: Baguio (H).
Friday’s quarterfinals
West (Hawaii) 15, Pennsville 1
Canada (Alberta) 8, Asia-Pacific (The Philippines) 7
Saturday’s games
Quarterfinal: Central (Illinois) 16, Latin America (Puerto Rico) 0
Quarterfinal: Southwest (Texas) 15, Southeast (Georgia) 1
Delaware vs. Czech Republic, 3 p.m.
Pennsville vs. Asia-Pacific (The Philippines), 5:30 p.m.
Semifinal: West (Honolulu) vs. Central (Illinois), 5:30 p.m.
Semifinal: Canada (Alberta) vs. Southwest (Texas), 8 p.m.
Latin America (Puerto Rico) vs. Southeast (Georgia), 8 p.m.
Sunday’s games
Third-place game, 11 a.m.
Championship game, 7 p.m.
Photo: The Pennsville softball team huddles in the outfield to clear some air after its 15-1 World Series loss to Honolulu.
Riverview Sports News 