West Suburban 14U falls in Junior League Softball World Series quarterfinal
· Yahoo Sports
KIRKLAND, Wash. – Hudsonville, Michigan scored single runs in the first and fourth innings, and held off a late rally by the West Suburban 14-Under team, ending the local squad’s run for a championship at the Junior League Softball World Series with a 2-1 loss.
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West Suburban, the second seed from Pool B, is 3-2 in Washington. The Pennsylvania and East Region champions are 15-2 this summer and have outscored their opponents 202-13.
The local team plays Latin America, which is the second seed from Pool A, at 12:30 p.m. Friday in the consolation bracket. Friday’s game will not be streamed on ESPN+. There will be a third-place game.
Right-hander Lucy Baker went the distance for the Central Region champs. She struck out four and scattered six hits.
“We just didn’t hit like we could,” West Suburban manager Rick Roberts said. “We got out of our approaches a little bit early and waited too long to hit.”
Adalyn Hines led West Suburban with two hits. Reagan Bills, Kylie Ferguson, Olivia O’Roark and Camryn Westover each singled.
Michigan, the third seed from Pool A, will take on the Southeast (Charlotte, North Carolina), a 15-5 winner in six innings over Canada at 7 p.m. Friday.
The other semifinal has Pool B winner West (Palo Cedro, California) against Asia-Pacific (Bacolod City, Philippines), a 2-1 winner in eight innings versus Latin America. The title game is Saturday.
West Suburban center fielder Jerzy Bopp was injured before the game.
“Jerzy had a bad-luck injury doing pregame,” Roberts said. “She was catching fly balls in the outfield and missed one and got hit in the nose.
“She was at the doctors at the start of our game and came three innings in, but couldn’t be inserted in the lineup.
“It was a big loss both defensively and offensively and really felt bad for her to miss that game.”
Michigan scored a run in the top of the first inning against West Suburban starter Reese Pinizzotto. Baker singled with one out and moved to second on a wild pitch.
Baker scored on an RBI single when center fielder Irelyn Scott dove for the ball and created a divot in the outfield.
Scott left the game and returned later.
In the fourth, Michigan’s Brooklynn Wright singled, Baker doubled and a walk loaded the bases.
Another free pass forced in a run.
Pinizzotto was replaced by O’Roark, who stranded three runners to keep the game at 2-0.
With two outs in the seventh, Hines singled to left.
Bills followed with a knock to center, and an error allowed Hines to score all the way from first base to cut the margin in half.
A swinging strikeout ended the game with Bills at third base.
West Suburban had a runner reach base in every inning but the fifth.
Michigan turned a double play in the second. O’Roark and Hines singled with two outs in the fourth, but a groundout ended the inning.
O’Roark fanned four batters over the final 32/3 frames.
“Olivia came in and did a great job,” Roberts said. “Our pitching was championship-level, but our bats just couldn’t get it done a few games.”
West Suburban is looking to end the tournament on a high note.
“The entire experience is unreal,” Roberts said. “Our girls gave it all they had. We just came up short, but never quit.
“Losing is learning, and although they are all hurting right now from a tough loss, we come from a blue-collar area that our kids will use it as motivation this offseason to make them better.”