Pennsville rally from close calls, early deficit to beat top-seeded Audubon for a spot in South Jersey Group I softball finals; hosts Woodstown Thursday
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
AUDUBON — Two years ago Pennsville softball coach Beth Jackson stood in foul territory at the Audubon Little League complex fighting back tears. She was brought to tears in just about the same place Tuesday, but for an entirely different and much happier reason.
That first time her Eagles were on the very wrong end of a one-sided South Jersey Group 1 semifinal loss to Audubon. On this day, the tears were borne of pride and joy after the Eagles came from behind both physically and emotionally to knock off the top-seeded Green Wave, 3-1 for a spot in the sectional finals.
“I am just so proud of them,” Jackson said, her words cracking with emotion. “So proud of them for being frustrated and coming back, and being frustrated at the umpires and coming back.
“They make their calls. We talk about all the time about being human and having the controllables and stuff. They rose above that and came out and had a couple hits strung together and they played good defense and Graillyn (Weber) did a great job keeping them in the game. I’m very happy.”
The win sends the fifth-seeded Eagles (17-7) to their first SJ Group 1 title game since 2019. They will host county rival Woodstown Thursday at 3 p.m. The seventh-seeded Wolverines (19-8) blanked Palmyra 5-0 for their tenth straight win and first sectional final berth since 1979.
The Eagles overcame a couple difficult umpiring decisions early in the game that could have sapped their energy to win, but they kept their focus, rallied from a 1-0 deficit and took the lead in the sixth inning off Audubon’s best pitcher. They tied it on Kenzie Widener’s solo homer in the fourth and took the lead with two in the sixth.
Early in the game they had a runner called out for leaving first base too early on a missed bunt attempt. Then there was a confusing call in the third on a ball Weber appeared to foul off her foot – she said it went off her toe in the batter’s box and photo evidence seemed to back the claim — but the umpires huddled and said it did not. Weber was ruled an out and the runner on base was returned to first. The runner, Lily Edwards, was later called out at second despite sliding away from the tag trying to advance on a ball that got away at the plate.
Adding to the hurt was Audubon (19-10) scored in its half of the inning to take a 1-0 lead.
The Eagles got the run back when Widener took starter Addie Leahan deep with two outs in the fourth. It was her second home run of the season.
“I was 2-0 i9n the count, I was ahead, and I was thinking she’s got to throw a fastball right down the middle; it’s what’s coming,” Widener said. “I just thought fastball, fastball, fastball and I hit it. I think it pumped all of us up. I think it made our energy go up 10 what it was before. After I hit that home run I really wanted to win this one.”
With both starting pitchers hard to hit, the game stayed tied until the sixth.
Audubon sent Alaina Copsetta to the circle to start the inning with the top of the Pennsville order coming to the plate. Edwards greeted the hard-throwing senior with a single to right center and Weber followed with the go-ahead RBI double to the short side of left field. The Eagles weren’t intimidated by Copsetta’s velocity and she faced only two batters.
“I was ready to get a hit,” Weber said. “I was kind of mad they missed that call on the ball that hit my foot but I was really ready to get a hit. I was like you know what, I’m due. I need to get a hit. I need to score Lily; I know she’s there waiting for me. I didn’t really feel much pressure. I was calm in the box. Even though I had two strikes I was ready to get a hit.”
Kylie Harris met Copsetta’s relief, Kylie Cannaday, with an RBI single to make it 3-1. It was Harris’ 166th career hit and 116th RBI.
“They were starting to really hit Addie, even the outs we had gotten were shots to the fence,” Audubon coach Erin Small said. “We knew the top of the lineup was coming back up. We’ve been using Copsetta for those last two innings throughout the playoffs. She’s a different look. She throws a screw-rise ball, Addie does not. We just were looking for a different look and they got on her right away and we just decided to bring in Kylie after that.”
Weber, meanwhile, didn’t yield in the circle. Working with a lead she retired the Green Wave over the final two innings with only one base runner to finish off the complete game. Leaving the frustration of the early umpiring calls in the dugout, she allowed only one hit after the Audubon scored its only run in the third. She retired 13 of the last 15 batters she faced. The Eagles have given up only one run in three playoff games.
“We were definitely reaching out for most of our at bats, not being patient, letting the ball get to us, and it was resulting in a lot of pop ups,” Small said. “We only had three hits, one double. We definitely did not have a great day at the plate. You’ve got to give her a lot of credit for what she did on the mound. We just couldn’t produce today.”
| Pennsville | 000 | 102 | 0- | 3 | 7 | 1 |
| Audubon | 001 | 000 | 0- | 1 | 3 | 1 |
GROUP 1 SECTIONAL FINALS
Thursday’s games
(Records, power points in parenthesis)
SOUTH: No. 7 Woodstown (19-8, 21.259) at No. 5 Pennsville (17-7, 22.191)
CENTRAL: No. 8 Florence (15-5, 18.83) at No. 7 Bound Brook (14-12 21.005)
NORTH I: No. 4 Indian Hills (19-8, 28.094) at No. 2 Midland Park (25-3, 32.675)
NORTH II: No. 4 Dayton (16-12, 22.889) at No. 3 Whippany Park (19-7, 26.917)
Power points to determine host team in state semifinals
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