Little League Softball: Minersville opens states with victory
Minersville's Major Division softball team won its first-round game Wednesday at the Pennsylvania State Softball Little League Tournament at the Nanticoke Area Little League Field. (Submitted Photo)
NANTICOKE — Payton Withelder pitched a complete-game three-hitter and her teammates backed her with error-free defense Wednesday as Minersville defeated Towamencin Youth Association 6-1 in the opening game of the Pennsylvania State Softball Little League Major Division Tournament hosted by Nanticoke Little League.
With the win, Minersville advances to Thursday’s 4 p.m. winners’ bracket semifinal against Section 7 champion Caln Township from Thorndale in Chester County. Caln Township edged Bullskin Township of the Connellsville area 3-2 in another first-round game Wednesday. The double-elimination tournament will continue through Monday, with the state champion advancing to the Mid-Atlantic Regional Tournament in Bristol, Connecticut.
In its last three games, Minersville has allowed just two runs total, outscoring its opponents 22-2.
“Defense, pitching and baserunning,” Minersville manager Matt Withelder said of his team’s strengths. “They’re running at a different level. They put the ball in play when they have to.”
Withelder shut down TYA from Harleysville in suburban Philadelphia by allowing just one run in the fifth inning. She struck out four and walked one.
“If you don’t put baserunners on, they don’t score,” Matt Withelder said. “(Our pitching and defense) are complementing each other well. That’s hard to do on the big stage.”
Minersville helped its pitcher by scoring first and steadily building its lead.
Harper Yoder got the Miners on the board by hitting a sacrifice fly in the second inning for a 1-0 lead.
In the third, Grey Hopkins drove in a run with a sacrifice bunt to make it 2-0.
Minersville broke the game open with a three-run fourth inning for a 5-0 lead, and tacked on a run in the top of the fifth to make it 6-0.
The Miners finished with six hits, one each by Aly Heffron, Alyssa Laudeman, Maddie Graver, Lexi Toth, Kenzie Gressens and Withelder. Yoder, Hopkins, Heffron and Toth tallied one RBI apiece, while Gressens scored two runs. Kendyll Quintinsky, Graver, Emalyn Daubert and Toth scored one run apiece for Minersville.
