Mid-East comes up short in banner game
Jul. 8—RICHMOND TOWNSHIP — The Mid-East 10U softball team fell in its Little League District 1 championship game to Titusville 11-4 Friday evening at the Richmond Township Ball Parks.
Costly errors allowed Titusville to score eight runs in the third and fourth innings. This turned a 3-2 contest into a lopsided 11-3 Titusville-led game.
"We just didn't have the hits tonight that we should have," said Mid-East coach Carrie Slocum. "I told them before the game started, that it was going to come down to who makes the errors and who doesn't."
Each team used a single pitcher for the five-and-a-half inning game. Titusville deployed Harper Wolfkiel and Mid-East used Addie Smock.
Scoring opened in the first inning as Titusville put up three. Mary Lesko hit a double, which sent home two batters and Capri Wagner hit an RBI single.
Mid-East's Paige Viele stole home plate in the second and Smock hit an RBI single to narrow Titusville's lead to just one at 3-2.
The bats then heated up for Titusville and the errors racked up for Mid-East in the third and fourth innings.
Wolfkiel's RBI double that sent three batters home would be among the highlights of the inning, as Titusville took a 6-2 lead.
Viele stole home plate again for Mid-East in the fourth, but once again Titusville marched back with several runs of their own.
Wagner and Hannah Ringer both stole home on the same play after a Mid-East fielding error. Wolfkiel managed to get all the way to second off a bunt as more fielding errors plagued Mid-East, who fell behind 11-3.
Despite the score, not all hope was lost for Mid-East as they loaded the bases in the fifth and even managed to walk a batter home, making it 11-4.
However, Titusville catcher Laila Greathouse caught a foul ball to end the top of the fifth inning. Neither team would score again.
Now the owners of a spiffy new banner, Titusville moves on to the Section 1 Tournament, which will be hosted by Brookville Little League.
For Mid-East, their season is over.
"We had a great bunch of girls who have improved from the day they started," said Slocum. "They got better as they went with hitting and Addie Smock's pitching especially. I think we will have a bright future."
Owen Krepps can be reached at 814-724-6370 or at owenk@meadvilletribune.com.
