Greensburg's West Point rides early runs to victory in Little League Softball World Series

GREENVILLE, N.C. — “We made it to Saturday.”

For all the waiting to play again, for the delays in the schedule caused by all the rain and wind Tropical Storm Debby dropped on the area, West Point coach Matt Maiers kept the objective for his softball team simple. And effective.

Greensburg’s West Point, the Mid-Atlantic Region champion, scored two runs in the top of the first inning, then played error-free defense and rode the pitching of Lexi Stabile to beat Bacolod City, Phillipines — the Asia-Pacific champion — 2-0 in an elimination game Friday at the Little League Softball World Series.

“That’s something we like to get on early, being that away team,” Maiers said. “We were hoping to get more than just two, but that’s all we needed to win this thing.”

For the first time in days, the sun peeked out from the extensive cloud cover just as West Point’s game began. The ray of sunshine — however brief before the clouds turned the sky gray again — matched West Point’s first inning.

Jocelyn Luft led off by reaching on an error, and Piper Hoppel followed with a bunt single. With Luft looking to steal third, the throw from the catcher sailed into left field, and she easily scored. Three batters later, Rian Starz singled back up the middle to drive in Hoppel to quickly stake West Point to a 2-0 lead.

While West Point didn’t muster much offense the rest of the game — it had just one baserunner who was caught trying steal second base in in the fourth inning — it had to withstand a couple of close calls defensively to seal the game.

With two outs in the fourth inning, Bacolod City’s Audrey Coleen Matarong walked and reached second on a wild pitch. Jewel Myles Bejar followed with an infield single deep into the hole between shortstop and third and went to second to put two runners in scoring position.

But Stabile got Chezka Palmera to hit the ball softly back to the circle. While Stabile initially bobbled it, she kept her calm, picked up the ball and easily threw to Ella Lamarre at first base to get out of trouble.

“They’re very fundamentally sound,” Maiers said of Bacolod City. “They can lay down the bunt, and they can play defense and we knew that they could run, so the thing we emphasized was playing that bunt. She did a great job.”

In the sixth inning, again with two out, Stabile walked Jorgina Myel Gustilo. Bacolod City’s Jenny Rose Hermogeno followed with a single to left field. But Stabile ended the threat and sealed the victory by getting Joy Mae Pasante looking on a called third strike.

“The defense is strong, and the pitching has enough to back it up,” Maiers said. “When you have a girl who’s going to keep throwing strikes, and we gave up a few hits, but luckily there was no one in scoring position.”

Stabile went the distance in the circle. She scattered five hits and walked five but struck out 11 to get the shutout.

“That’s awesome,” Maiers said upon hearing the pitching line. “That’s big time.”

All teams were coming back after extensive rain and wind from Debby that damaged Stallings Stadium at Elm Street Park, forcing Little League to move the Softball World Series temporarily about a mile away at Max R. Joyner Family Stadium on the campus of East Carolina University.

“It’s kind of a Groundhog Day,” Maiers said of all the waiting, referring to the ‘90s comedy film. “We get up the next day … all right, more rain. We actually found some time yesterday, snuck out and went to a movie. We went to see ‘Despicable Me.’ It was nice to get out of the dorms and see some different scenery.”

They’ll see something new on Saturday: another day and, weather permitting, another game in the World Series.

“We made it to Saturday,” Maiers said. “That was the goal, and here we are.”