District III upends EMEA behind stable batting

Two veterans in the tournament – both looking for their first World Series title – took to Layton Field for the early game on Tuesday evening. The District III team from Laurel capitalized on pitches to stretch their lead late in the game and eventually lock up an 8-3 win against EMEA, playing out of Ramstein, Germany.

Bree Venables rounded the bases in the second, but EMEA tied in the bottom, as pinch runner Haley Haydon reached home, too. Logan Green and Bethany Wheatley score in the second, via a couple of EMEA errors, extending the lead, 3-1. Later, in the fifth, Laurel picked up four more runs on three hits and added the eight score in the sixth. Green opened the game on the mound and threw seven strikeouts in four innings. Venables finished up, collecting three more K’s in the final three innings.

With two outs in the seventh, EMEA attempted to fight back, tallying runs in from Allison Shelton and Makenna Beckett, but the rally came a few innings too late, as District III gathered their second win of the World Series. Wheatley finished the game with two RBI’s, and Collins added one. Kelsey Freeman and relief pitcher Kayla Pahls combined for six strikeouts in the loss.

Despite the win, District III manager Kenny Willey said he saw better play in his team in the opening 1-0 win over the East on Sunday.

“Having a day off [on Monday] didn’t help too much,” he admitted. “We came out a little flat and had a few errors we don’t normally have. I told the girls, though, it’s just another game. We’ve got to come out here, stay loose and have fun.”

Following the win, the host team prepared to face another 2-0 team in the World Series, with Central as their opponent on Wednesday.

“Central will be tough,” Willey added. “They’ve been here the last four years, too, so they know what they’re doing.”