ROXANA – One step short of their goal, the host Lower Sussex Senior League Softball team will not play for the Little League World Series title Sunday evening.
Defending champion Central Region will, in quest of a repeat feat.
It just wasn’t in the cards Saturday night for the host Delaware District 3 squad, which managed just one hit and committed three errors in a 5-0 loss to the unbeaten team from Beardstown, Illinois, whose 2023 squad downed Texas in the Senior League Softball World Series championship game.
“It was unfortunate,” said Lower Sussex manager Sarah Hoban. “I knew they were going to be a really tough team to beat. I thought it would be more competitive.”
“We have nine returning players from last year’s team, and the same coaching staff we had last year,” said Central Region manager Tom Orr. “So, we had a lot of returners, and a lot of new faces to go along with them that made this team as good as they are.”
Central (6-0) faces Southeast champ South Carolina (3-3), which topped West Region champ from Hawaii 8-5 Saturday night, in the 7 p.m. championship Sunday at the Lower Sussex Little League complex.
After manufacturing a 3-0 lead in the top of the first, Central rode a one-hit pitching performance by ace Mia Volpert, who struck out 11 and issued no walks.
“Mia, she was here last year. She pitched that championship against Texas,” said Orr. “She is just an absolute thrill to be around. She is one of the best players I’ve ever had on my team. She is a trooper.”
A leadoff bunt single by Kylie Robinson, a hit batsman, an error, a fielder’s choice and RBI singles by Ava Rodriguez and Volpert fueled Central’s early uprising.
“We have struggled in this tournament to get runs in the first inning. A lot of people looked at us, because we hit home runs. I think maybe we caught D3 off guard right off the bat because we laid a bunt down, beat it out and played the small ball game right off the bat,” Orr said. “It was nice to get three in the first and not have to be looking at a zero while the other team is coming up.”
Two insurance runs in the seventh were produced by a walk, an error, two singles and a hit batsman that came with the bases loaded.
“They scored five runs and I’m not sure that only a couple of them were earned. We gave them a couple in that first inning,” said Hoban.
Ryleigh Smith had the Lower Sussex hit, a single leading off the fourth. The only other Lower Sussex baserunner was Sophie Scurci, who reached on an error in the second inning.
“Unfortunately, we just couldn’t get the adjustments made. Their pitcher had 11 strikeouts on us,” said Hoban. “They are a good little team, and I think we’re still a good little team. I’d like to see them on another day and play our best game. In the end, they showed up today. Our bats didn’t. I wish them the best of luck tomorrow.”
Lower Sussex logged a couple defensive highlights. Center fielder Tamiyah McCabe made a spectacular snow-cone catch near the fence in left-centerfield, and pitcher Cierra Lewis, in reactionary self-defense, snagged a vicious liner off the bat of Italee Ford.
Lewis struck out six and allowed five hits.
Lower Sussex, which was 2-1 in Pool A play, eliminated the Netherlands from the Europe Africa Region 12-2 Friday in the playoff quarterfinals. Central advanced to the semifinals, blanking East Region champion MOT (Middletown Odessa Townsend) from Delaware 14-0.
Central defeated Southeast 3-1 in Pool B on July 30.
Staff writer Glenn Rolfe can be reached at grolfe@iniusa.org. Follow @glennrolfeBTBN on X.
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