Pennsville puts all the elements together to walkoff Woodstown 10-0 for its first softball sectional title since 2008; Group 1 final four set
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE – Clean defense and sharp pitching are keys to survival in post-season play.
Pennsville got both Thursday, on top of its usual solid hitting, and now is a South Jersey Group 1 softball sectional champion for the first time since 2008 after blanking county rival Woodstown 10-0.
The Eagles (18-7) now host Central Jersey champion Bound Brook (15-12) in the Group 1 state semifinals Monday at 4 p.m. The Crusaders beat Florence 4-3 with two runs in the bottom of the tenth.
“Oh, this is fantastic,” centerfielder Lily Edwards said after the celebration died down. “The last time it happened was (a month before) when I was born. It’s fantastic.”
“I don’t even know what to say I’m so happy; this doesn’t even feel real,” catcher Kylie Harris said. “We came in today all nervous and worried because this is obviously a big game but then we saw our entire community come out and support their girls team. Having the community behind us and being in Pennsville, that’s what makes it so special.”
Graillyn Weber pitched a shutout in the circle and delivered the walk-off double in the sixth inning. She gave up three hits and struck out four, including the side in order in the fifth. She didn’t allow a hit and only one base runner after Ellie Wygand’s single (her second hit of the game) with one out in the third inning.
She has allowed only one run in 25 playoff innings.
“I threw pretty well,” Weber said. “I don’t think I threw actually my best game but I think I was avoiding the middle of the strike zone and not making every pitch so hittable.”
Interestingly, Weber wasn’t a pitcher until recently and really wasn’t certain she was going to be the Eagles’ main pitcher this season. She was one of three options they were considering before the season started. But there she was, pitching in the sectional championship game, something she never could have imagined just a few years ago.
The Eagles weren’t sure how the rotation would look this season and used their two scrimmages to figure it out. On a cold and miserable day at Absegami, coach Beth Jackson gave Weber a shot and she grabbed it with both hands.
“She went out and started that (scrimmage) and it went from there,” Jackson said. “We talked about it and she said, yeah, give me the ball. She wanted it so I said let’s go for it and see how it goes. She wanted to do it for her team. She’s an athlete, you can put her anywhere, but that’s where she is and that’s where she’s done her job this year by far.”
“It kind of started maybe in Upper Little League, 12U going up,” Weber said. “I never pitched for my travel team and probably never will. I like it a lot now. I definitely got a lot better.
“I was definitely like the second or third (option), but as soon as I got to high school I knew I’d have to pitch a little bit more and really got it going and learned how to do some spins myself. I was prepared. I think I was ready for it. I wasn’t super nervous or anything. My first game I was definitely more nervous than I should’ve been, but I ended up doing pretty good.”
Good enough to pitch in 19 games this season, nine of which she’s given up fewer than two earned runs.
The Eagles played a relatively clean game behind her, fielding all 12 chances in the infield that are typical of Weber’s outings. They made one error on a tailing fly ball that glanced off Edwards’ outstretched glove. They’ve made only two errors in the playoffs. The Wolverines, meanwhile, were charged with five errors in the game, all of which either wound up scoring or led to a run being scored
“Graillyn’s been our primary pitcher for most of our games and we always need to be there to back her up because everyone feels it when an error is made in the field and we need to keep each other up,” said Avery Watson, who flawlessly fielded four grounders at her shortstop position. “I put a lot of work in just so I can support my pitchers because I love ’em and they always do a great job.”
“We always talk about those controllables and that’s what you control, making those plays,” Jackson said. “If you make those plays you support your pitchers. She doesn’t have to throw as much and everybody just comes together and you get those 21 outs that you need. That’s key. You only need one run to score (to win) a game if you play good defense.”
So the Eagles played good defense and got more than one run. They led wire-to-wire. They scored a run in the first when Edwards raced home from third on a pitch that got past the catcher. They added another in the third on Edwards’ RBI single, two in the fourth on back-to-back doubles by Watson and Kenzie Widener and a run-scoring ground out by Taylor Bass, and broke it open with five in the fifth.
They walked it off in the sixth when Gracie Mease reached second on a leadoff error, Edwards was intentionally walked and Weber powered a game-ending double to the left centerfield gap.
“The last time we played them they scored three (in the first) and we had to battle from behind (to win),” Edwards said. “Playing from in front gave us a lot more confidence.”
The loss snapped Woodstown’s 10-game winning streak. The Wolverines beat county rival Schalick in the first round of the playoffs, then allowed only one run in their two playoff games. They were playing in their first sectional final since 1979.
“We’re a better team than Pennsville, but today they were a significantly better team, I’ll just say that,” Woodstown coach Rob Hilderbrand said. “Today they outplayed us and beat us in every facet of the game. Do I think we’re still at better team at heart, yeah, but they just beat us today.”
After the immediate celebration and all the pictures, the team retired to the side of their storage trailer where coach Beth Jackson removed tape from a banner that revealed the newest year of an Eagles sectional title. She then got the traditional water bucket shower courtesy of Edwards and Bass.
“We just kind of thought about it in the moment,” Edwards said. “You watch like the big moments on the TV and it’s like, ‘Oh, shoot, let’s do this. She deserves it.”
The coach certainly appreciated it on such a hot day and gave a little shimmy at the end to show it.
“It feels good,” Jackson said.
Pennsville 10, Woodstown 0
| WOODSTOWN (0) | PENNSVILLE (10) | ||
| Ellie Wygand, cf | 3020 | Lily Edwards, cf | 3111 |
| Talia Guardascione, ss | 3000 | Graillyn Weber, p | 4111 |
| Leah Clark, p | 3000 | Kylie Harris, c | 3111 |
| Kendall Young, 3b | 3000 | Avery Watson, ss | 3221 |
| Maddie LaPalomento, 1b | 2000 | Kenzie Widener, 1b | 3222 |
| Grace Hitchner, dp | 2000 | Reagan Wariwanchik, 2b | 3010 |
| Ava White, cr | 0000 | Taylor Bass, rf | 3001 |
| Karly Spears, lf | 2010 | Gianna Evans, 3b | 2100 |
| Macie Moore, 2b | 2000 | Gracie Mease, lf | 3200 |
| Emma Hitchner, c | 2000 | ||
| Mattie Mesmer, rf | 0000 |
| Woodstown | 000 | 000- | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| Pennsville | 101 | 251- | 10 | 9 | 1 |
GROUP 1 SECTIONAL FINALS
Thursday’s games
SOUTH: Pennsville 10, Woodstown 0, 6 inns.
CENTRAL: Bound Brook 4, Florence 3, 10 inns.
NORTH I: Indian Hills 2, Midland Park 0
NORTH II: Dayton 5, Whippany Park 4
GROUP I FINAL FOUR
Monday’s games
Bound Brook (15-12) at Pennsville (18-7), 4 p.m.
Dayton (17-12) at Indian Hills (20-8)
Riverview Sports News 