The Backyard Batting Cage

By Communications Division
SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa.

Little League Softball World Series Results

Eastdale Little League from Albuquerque, N.M., left little doubt who was the best team in the 10-team Little League Softball World Series field completing a six-game sweep with a 16-1, five-inning victory over Windermere (Fla.) Softball Little League this evening in the championship game. The seven-day World Series was played in Portland, Ore.

The New Mexico Champions earned a berth in the championship game with a 12-1 semifinal win over Riverfield Little League from Anderson, Ind., while Windermere Softball Little League earned its spot in the championship game with a 1-0 victory over Makakilo Kapolei Honokai Hale Little League from Kapolei, Hawaii, in eight innings.

In both the semifinal and championship games, Eastdale Little League scored multiple runs in the first inning on its way to victory. In the semifinal contest, the new Little League Softball World Series Champions scored 11 runs, and in the championship game they scored four runs.

After taking that early 4-0 lead in the championship game, Eastdale Little League, the second champion from New Mexico in the 39-year history of the World Series, and first from the state since 1984 when Albuquerque Little League won it, they added one run in the second inning and put the game away with an 11-run fifth inning.

Andrea Howard led the attack for Eastdale Little League with three hits and five RBI, while Ariana Strunk had a pair of hits and three RBI. Both Howard and Strunk had three-run triples in the big fifth inning outburst. Jessica McAlister also had three hits.

Shannon Stein went the distance for the World Series Champions earning her fourth win of the tournament. She allowed the first four hits of the tournament against her in the title game while also allowing her only earned run in a total of 16 innings of work. She had one strikeout in the championship game.

Eastdale Little League won all six of its games in the World Series by a combined score of 67-5. The pitchers combined to post a team ERA of 0.39 while the team hit .355 in the Series. They scored 10 or more runs in four times, and scored nine runs in one of the other contests.

Maria Pagane had two of the four hits for Windermere Softball Little League, which was also looking for its first Little League Softball World Series title.

View the Original article