Another sectional crown

Pennsville Senior Softball wins fifth straight age division sectional title, routs Middle Twp. for spot in state tournament

SECTION 4 SENIOR SOFTBALL
(At Middle Twp. LL)
WEDNESDAY’S GAMES
Championship game
Pennsville 11, Middle Twp. 1

By Riverview Sports News

CAPE MAY COURTHOUSE – This core group of Pennsville Senior Softball players have had a lot of success together over the years, and now that they’re reaching the end of the line they want nothing more than to go out with a bang.

Many of the current players will be opting or aging out of the program when the season ends and manager Chris Watson is moving into a college coaching position that will occupy his time, but they’re showing in this bid to get back to the World Series they’ve still got a lot in the tank.

These girls won their fifth straight age-division sectional title Wednesday when they crushed host Middle Twp. 11-1 in five innings. Now they advance to the state tournament a little farther down the road in Dennis Twp., where they’ll open against Section 3 representative Toms River at 8 p.m. July 12.

“This means a lot because it’s our last one,” Watson said. “For me as a coach and for Avery (Watson), for Jess (Bretz), for Savannah (Palverento), it’s all their last one, Kylie (Harris), but it’s our fifth consecutive championship, so it’s pretty cool and closing that out like that is pretty awesome.

“We tear up a little bit when we talk about it. We’ve been together for so long. This is our eighth season doing all-stars with some of these girls. We’ve been together a long time.”

Avery Watson, the team’s shortstop, said the sectional title should be a big motivator for the younger players to continue. They didn’t have a district tournament to get their feet wet, so the sectional was their first chance to see what the veteran have been experiencing for years.

“I think it’s especially important to the younger girls,” she said. “A lot of them weren’t totally sure what they were getting into and I think the older girls we’ve been a big source of energy and that gets them up and excited for all the games. I guess winning sectional is a big motivator to the young girls to keep competing.”

Pennsville wasted no time getting the upper hand, scoring two runs in the first inning, then put it out of reach with eight runs in the third. They sent 13 batters to the plate in the big inning and scored six of their runs after two were out. The outburst was highlighted by Palverento’s three-run double and Makenzie Widener’s two-run single. 

They walked it off with one out in the fifth when Avery Watson scored on a wild pitch.

The first three hitters in Pennsville’s lineup — Palverento, Watson and Harris — were a combined 9-for-12 with four doubles and five RBIs. Harris was 4-for-4 with a pair of doubles. Watson was 2-for-4 (and made two sharp plays in the field). And Palverento was 3-for-4 with three RBIs. Widener went 2-for-3 with two RBIs.

“I think we hit better (today) than we did in Monday’s games,” Avery Watson said. 

Bretz pitched three scoreless innings before coming out of the circle with a sore knee. She allowed one hit and walked four while striking out six. In two tournament games (eight innings) she has allowed just one hit and struck out 21.

Palverento pitched the final two innings, allowing two hits and striking out three. She beat Middle in the tournament opener.

Pennsville 11, Middle Twp. 1

Middle Twp. (1-2)	000	01-	1	3	2
Pennsville (3-0)	208	01-	11	13	0