Selinsgrove Majors hand on for District 13 softball title
SUNBURY - A big lead had evaporated, the tying run was at second base, and Selinsgrove was in danger of letting West Branch go ahead late in the District 13 Major Division softball championship game Wednesday at John O. Long Field.
"I saw somebody say on the College World Series last week, 'Everybody gets punched in the mouth. You have to figure out if you like the taste of blood, or not,'" Selinsgrove manager Dale Barge said. "We got punched in the mouth - and we knew it was coming; they played us tight the first time - but we responded."
Brianna Gray retired nine of the final 10 batters she faced - only a hit batter to open the fifth reached base for West Branch - and Selinsgrove held on to claim the district championship, 8-7, for the second time in three seasons.
Selinsgrove (4-0) will open Section 3 play on Tuesday against Northeast Bradford or Tunkhannock at the South Williamsport Lions Field. Those two teams play for the District 33 title beginning on Thursday.
Despite nearly a week off - Selinsgrove beat West Branch, 2-1, on June 18 in the winners' bracket final - Selinsgrove jumped on top early in the top of the first Wednesday.
With one out, Mya Callender tripled, and Capri Moser followed with an RBI single. After a walk to Chloe Shemory, Gray brought home the second run of the inning with a single. A throwing error allowed two more runs to score as Selinsgrove opened a 4-0 lead.
West Branch got a run back in the bottom of the first after Mallory Heistand beat out a bunt single. Heistand took third on Addy Crebs' ground out, before scoring on Peyton Sheesley's RBI single.
Selinsgrove would expand its lead in the top of the second when Hailey Kurtz doubled with one out, and Elle Pagana walked. Drew Pagana hit a hard single to second base for a 5-1 lead, and Callender's RBI groundout pushed it to 6-1.
West Branch pulled within 6-4 in the third. Heistand singled, and Sheesley singled with one out to put runners on the corners. Addy Way followed with an RBI single to cut the lead to 6-2. Brooke Bryson followed with a two-run single to cut the lead to 6-4 before Moser, the winning pitcher, got a fielder's choice and a pop out to end the threat.
"We started with our best stuff, and, with the heat, I think we just ran out of energy," Barge said of his team.
Rozalyn Fern walked and stole second. Drew Pagana then waited on a change-up and lined an RBI single into left field. She took second on the throw to the plate, and would later score on a wild pitch to give Selinsgrove an 8-4 lead.
The first five hitters of the fourth inning reached for West Branch. Crebs and Sheesley had back-to-back RBI walks to cut the Selinsgrove lead to 8-6.
Gray then entered in relief, and tried to catch Heistand napping at third base. Her throw was wild, and Heistand scored to get West Branch within a run. They got no closer as the hit batter is all that stood between Gray and three perfect innings of relief. She struck out three and didn't walk a batter.
"It's just Bri being Bri. When we were here two years ago, she was a big part of this and of us getting to states," Barge said of Gray, who picked up wins in both games of the District 13 championship series in 2024 when Selinsgrove won the 8-10 Division district title.
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LITTLE LEAGUE SOFTBALL
District 13 Major Division
Championship game
at John O. Long Field
SELINSGROVE 8, WEST BRANCH 7
Selinsgrove;420;200; - 8-10-3
West Branch;103;300; - 7-9-1
Capri Moser, Mya Callender (4), Brianna Gray (4) and Chloe Shemory. Addy Way and Raegan McCarty.
WP: Moser; LP: Way; S: Gray.
Selinsgrove: Drew Pagana, 2-for-3, run, 2 RBIs; Callender 1-for-2, triple, run; Moser 1-for-3, run, RBI; Gray 1-for-3, run, RBI; Taylor Trotto 2-for-3; Alayna Beierscmitt, 2-for-3, double; Hailey Kurtz, 1-for-3, double, run.
West Branch: Mallory Heistand 3-for-4, 3 runs; Peyton Sheesley 2-for-3, run, 2 RBIs; Way 1-for-3, run, RBI; Brooke Bryson 1-for-3, 2 RBIs; Emily Shaner 1-for-3, run.
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