Little League Softball: Minersville captures Section 3 championship
Minersville's Major Division softball team celebrates with the Section 3 banner after winning the tournament Friday evening. (Submitted Photo)
TROY — Minersville’s Little League Major Division softball team is going to states!
With a 6-1 victory over Warrior Run on Friday evening, the Miners clinched the Section 3 Tournament championship and a berth into the state tournament that goes to the winner.
Minersville will compete in the Pennsylvania State Softball Little League Tournament to be hosted July 9-15 by the Nanticoke Little League. The eight sectional champions will gather for a double-elimination state tournament.
“This group of girls committed to play a lot more softball to get where they are,” Minersville manager Matt Withelder said. “It’s been a pleasure to coach them.”
In the title game, Payton Withelder went the distance in the circle for Minersville, finishing with a two-hitter. Withelder allowed just one unearned run while striking out three and walking none. The defense helped Withelder by turning a double play.
“That was the best defense I ever saw in a Little League game,” Matt Withelder said.
Minersville jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when Kendyll Quintinsky rapped an RBI single.
Warrior Run took advantage of an error to tie the game 1-1 in the top of the second.
In the bottom of the second inning, Minersville answered with three runs to take control of the game. Harper Yoder delivered a two-run single, and Kenzie Gressens added an RBI double to make it 4-1.
Minersville finished with six hits in the game.
Yoder, the right fielder, led Minersville by going 2-for-2 out of the No. 8 spot in the batting order. She finished the game with three RBIs.
The Troy Little League hosted the sectional tournament, and Minersville went 3-0 to capture the title.
Alyssa Laudeman, Lexi Toth, Maddie Graver, Emalyn Daubert, Aly Heffron, Lyla Clay, Grey Hopkins and Mallory Hopkins are also members of the team and made major contributions throughout the tournament.
In the opening round Tuesday, District 24 champion Minersville defeated District 12 winner Jersey Shore 11-9. In the other first-round game, District 13 champ Warrior Run downed District 15 winner Athens 12-7.
In the winners’ bracket final Wednesday, Minersville shut out Warrior Run 10-0 in four innings. In an elimination game, Jersey Shore blanked Athens 8-0.
Warrior Run reached the championship round of the tournament by defeating Jersey Shore 13-1 on Thursday. Minersville needed just one victory to advance to states and took care of Warrior Run for the second time. Minersville outscored Warrior Run 16-1 in the two meetings.
Minersville is a young team, even by Major Division standards, with six 12-year-olds, five 11-year-olds and one 10-year-old on its roster. The coach added that the girls have shown promise in other sports like basketball and soccer, too. But now it’s softball season.
“They always want to practice,” Matt Withelder said. “They’ve dedicated themselves to the sport. It’s fun.”
