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Poland battles in 1-0 loss
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Jenna Schetter Poland heads back to the dugout after striking out in the second inning of Tuesday’s game against Warner Robins, Ga., at the Little League Softball World Series in Portland, Ore.
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Pitcher Aleah Hughes of Poland delivers a pitch in the second inning of Tuesday’s Little League World Series semifi nal game against Warner Robins, Ga., in Portland, Ore. Hughes allowed just three hits in the game, but Poland suff ered a 1-0 loss.
Staff report
PORTLAND, ORE.
The Poland softball all-stars may not be playing for the Little League World Series today, but the young Bulldogs made sure the teams that are earned their way.
Tuesday night at Alpenrose Field, pitcher Avery Lamb of Warner Robins, Ga., limited Poland to one hit and struck out 12 batters as the defending World Series champions from the Southeast Region edged the Central Region champions, 1-0, in a semifinal game.
Warner Robins will play Burbank, Calif., tonight, for the championship game.
Poland, which is 3-2 in the World Series, will play Tigard, Ore., at 3 p.m. in the third-place game.
The Bulldogs’ only two defeats in this World Series were a pair of 1-0 games against the teams playing for the championship.
Allyson Deemer lined a one-hit triple to right-center field in the bottom of the fourth inning for Poland’s first, and only, hit of the game on Tuesday.
But Lamb got the next batter to ground out to first baseman Hayley Tierce, who made a nice play to keep Deemer at third.
Then Lamb struck out the next batter to end the threat.
Poland was then retired in order by Lamb in the fifth and sixth innings.
The Bulldogs’ only other base runner was Aleah Hughes, who walked to lead off the bottom of the second inning.
Hughes was forced out at second base on a fielder’s choice.
Hughes was Poland’s pitcher on Tuesday night and she was outstanding in her own right.
The tough right-hander allowed just three hits and struck out two Georgia batters.
Warner Robins batters, though, earned seven bases on balls and one of those, to Sierra Stella, resulted in the game’s only run.
Stella led off the top of the first inning with a walk, and advanced to second on a wild pitch. After a flyout, Lamb’s grounder advanced Stella to third, and she then scored on a passed ball for what would prove to be the game’s only run.
Ashley Killebrew had two of Georgia’s three hits, including a double, but the Southeastern Region champions stranded eight base runners.