Patterson rolls into Babe Ruth 12U semifinals
The Patterson 12U All-Stars bounced back from its first loss in Babe Ruth play this year with two dominant victories Thursday to advance to Friday’s 12U World Series semifinals.
Patterson, the No. 5 seed, started the day with a 12-1 victory against Missouri-based Boonville All-Stars, the No. 4 seed, before capping the day with a 14-0 victory against Virginia-based Rockville All-Stars, the No. 8 seed in four innings in the afternoon.
Patterson advances to the semifinals where it will face Kentucky-based Jeffersontown All-Stars at noon Friday. Patterson beat Jeffersontown 6-1 in pool play, and ironically, the two teams met in the semifinals a year ago, with Patterson winning en route to an eventual World Series title.
The winner of the Patterson-Jeffersontown contest will advance to Saturday’s title game, which is set for 3 p.m. The loser must navigate its way through the elimination bracket and win four games in approximately 24 hours to win the title.
Jeffersontown, along with Patterson, was one of five teams to upset higher seeds on the first day of bracket play. Jeffersontown, the No. 7 seed, defeated North Carolina-based Wilmington, the No. 2 seed, 10-3 before topping New Jersey-based Mount Olive 14-0.
Rockville had the biggest upset of the day as the squad defeated Indiana-based East Side All-Stars, the top seed, 4-3. East Side entered bracket play undefeated and had surrendered zero runs.
In the Patterson-Rockville contest, Patterson scored three runs in the first before breaking the game open with nine runs in the second. The local squad added two runs in the third. The game was called in the fourth due to the mercy rule.
Patterson outhit Rockville 12-2, and Rockville committed four errors to Patterson’s one miscue.
Laila Dugar and Emily Lipari combined for a two-hitter on the mound. Dugar earned the win as she surrendered one hit, walked two and fanned two in three innings. Lipari pitched an inning and surrendered a hit and fanned one.
Offensively, Ella Hover led Patterson with a 3-for-3 performance with two doubles, a triple, six RBIs and two runs. Other top Patterson offensive contributors were Amaya Williams, 3-for-3 with two RBIs and three runs; Emily Lipari, 2-for-3, two runs; Charlotte Callais, 1-for-2, an RBI, a stolen base and a run; Laila Dugar, 1-for-3, an RBI; Bryleigh Dehart, 1-for-2; Kamille Lightfoot, 1-for-3, a run; and Hannah Domingue, three RBIs and a run.
Brookelynne Winterson finished 2-for-2 to lead Rockville’s offense.
Madeline Winder suffered the loss. In three innings, she surrendered 14 runs (five earned) on 12 hits.
Against Boonville, Patterson erupted for seven first-inning runs for a 7-0 lead.
Boonville cut its deficit to 7-1 in the bottom of the second, and the score remained the same until Patterson added three runs in the fifth and two in the sixth.
Patterson had just five hits, but Boonville had five errors. Boonville pitchers combined for 10 walks and one hit batter.
Ryleigh Chaisson tossed a complete-game one-hitter for the win. In six innings, she surrendered one earned run on one hit with two walks and four strikeouts.
Hover led Patterson’s offense with a 2-for-4 performance with a double, an RBI, a stolen base and two runs. Other top Patterson offensive contributors were Dugar, 1-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a run; Domingue, 1-for-3, an RBI, a stolen base and two runs; Maddi St. Blanc, 1-for-1, an RBI; and Layla Richoux, an RBI.
Marci Lammers led Boonville’s offense with a 1-for-2 performance, while Addison Newell added an RBI.
Preslee Sunderland suffered the loss. In four innings, she surrendered six runs (one earned) on two hits with five walks and four strikeouts.