Loveland Youth Soccer Association

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19

Jul, 2017

Horsham Banshee's sweep PONY East Zone Girls Softball Nationals Bronco & Pony titles

The mental and physical fortitude of all the competing teams clearly showed during Championship Wednesday at the East Zone Girls Softball Nationals in Sterling, Virginia, as teams fiercely competed on the field amid high-90 degree temperatures. Battling their opponents and enduring the heat, the Banshee's of Horsham, Pennsylvania outlasted their competition and both won championship titles in the Bronco 12U and Pony 14U in thrilling final games.

Bronco 12U: Horsham Banshee's 8 Virginia Glory 7 (F/9)

In the Bronco 12U Championship Game, in what was a back-and-forth game all afternoon long, down a run with one out in the ninth inning, the Banshee's Genevieve Ebaugh scored Megan Kummery on a double to centerfield, tying the game at seven apiece. The next batter, Madison Seidel, proved to be the hero by poking a ground ball through the right side to score Ebaugh to win the game 8-7 in extra innings.

Three different lead changes and one tie led to a 6-6 game going into extra innings. The Banshee's almost ended it in the eighth inning, when, with a runner on third base, Kummery hit a bullet to center field, but Glory center fielder Christina Willemsen made the catch of the day to prolong the game. With momentum on their side, the Glory scored the go-ahead run on a Haley Greer single to left field and advanced Alyssa Sternbeck to third base, but two consecutive outs ended the inning in what was the Glory's last chance at adding to their lead.

The Banshee's started off the scoring in the bottom of the first, when third baseman Sophia Peterson crushed her first of two home runs on the day to give her team an early 2-0 advantage. The Glory got a run back in the top of second inning, when Banshee's pitcher Seidel walked the bases loaded and then walked Olivia Iannizzi to score Daria Haynie.

The Glory added on and took the lead 4-2 in the top of the third when right fielder Natalie Elias reached on a Ebaugh error, scoring Karlee Hughes and Karley Beltran, and then Sternbeck brought home Elias on a single to center field. The lead would be short lived, as Peterson's second home run, this time a three-run shot, made it 5-4 Banshee's, after three complete innings.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Banshee's tacked on a very important run when Seidel singled home Kummery, but the Glory still had fight left. In the top of the fifth inning, Haley Greer reached on an error, which scored Elias, but Sternbeck was caught trying to take third base, and then a double play ended what could have been a big inning for the Glory.

It was then that the Glory turned to relief pitcher Maddie Edwards, who ended up providing 4.1 innings of quality relief, only allowing one earned run on two hits, while striking out one and walking one. Edwards silenced the Banshee's bats until the final inning.

Ebaugh picked up the win and pitched arguably as well in relief as Edwards, going 3.2 innings, striking out three, while not allowing a run on five hits.

Stats: CLICK HERE

Pony 14U: Horsham Banshee's 6 Fort Royal, Virginia Fire 2

A four-run, top of the third inning proved to be all the offense Horsham needed, and its solid defense caused Fort Royal to strand 11 runners on base, as the Banshee's claimed the PONY East Zone Girls Softball Nationals Pony 14U championship 6-2 over the Fire.

Fort Royal's left fielder Alyssa Hoggatt broke open the scoring in the bottom of the first inning when her double scored center fielder Taylor Bowers to make it 1-0. After leaving runners stranded on base in the first two-consecutive innings, the Banshee's finally broke through in the third inning, when it looked as if the squad was going to squander another opportunity. During Kylee Guerrera's at-bat, with two outs, Banshee's center fielder Sam Nuneviller scored on a wild pitch from third base to tie the game at one. After Guerrera walked, right fielder Korynn Bischoff knocked a bases-clearing triple into right field to give her team a 3-1 lead. Short stop Hannah Reimel's single scored Bischoff, and the Banshee's ended their two-out rally with a 4-1 lead.

The Fire had a chance to make a comeback in the bottom of the fourth inning, when a single, walk and a Banshee's error resulted in a Hannah Ruffner run scored to make it 4-2. Unfortunately for Fort Royal, a strike out, pop out and ground out left two runners stranded in scoring position.

Mary Picozzi then relieved Banshee's starter Kylie Woloshyn, after she went four strong innings, allowing two runs, one earned on five hits, while striking out one and walking two. Picozzi followed her teammate counterpart by finishing the final three innings without allowing a run, on one hit with a strikeout and two walks.

Horsham added on two runs for good measure in the top of the seventh, when a Fire error off a batted ball by Reimel scored Guerrera from second base, and Taylor Nelson's single to right field scored Reimel.

Nine different Banshee's recorded hits on the day and five different batters scored runs, while three had multi-hit days. Woloshyn picked up the win for her efforts.

Stats: CLICK HERE.

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