They say that pitching and good defense wins ballgames.
When it comes to Pequea Valley's softball team, the dominant pitching of Olivia Ammon and the support from the fielders playing behind her, the Braves were able to not only win, but to also bring an addition back to their school's trophy case.
On Thursday, June 3, the Braves downed Bermudian Springs, claiming the District Three Class 3A championship with a 2-1 victory at Millersville University's Seaber Stadium.
The win did not come easily as Bermudian Springs junior Tori Murren was nearly perfect for the first five innings.
"She was keeping us off balance - in and out, up and down," Pequea head coach Doug High explained. "We were swinging at some marginal pitches in key situations and not making good contact."
Murren, who finished with seven strikeouts and no walks while allowing only three hits, drove in the Eagles' lone run herself in the top of the sixth inning.
The three hits she did allow were long hits - all in the sixth inning. Hailey Yothers led off with a triple. Olivia Ammon doubled to drive her in. Madison Clark also doubled to drive in the eventual winning run.
Olivia Ammon struck out five and allowed five hits. She was able to work out of trouble twice, including the first inning where she recorded two of her strikeouts. She allowed a leadoff walk followed by a Hannah Chenault single before settling down to record to strikeouts and getting a third out on a pop up.
In the fourth, the Eagles, who had reached the district title game by knocking off top-seeded Trinity in the semis, threatened again. A single and a sacrifice bunt put a Springs runner in scoring position. But a line drive to Clark. The second baseman promptly turned it into an inning-ending double play.
"It was a great team effort," High said. "They are playing well and finding ways to get it done."
The Braves headed into the PIAA Class 3A state playoffs with an opening-round game on Monday, June 7. The offense came through on a much greater scale with plenty of run support for Olivia Ammon's dominant pitching as Pequea defeated Swenson Academy 10-0 at Millersville University.
Defense? Well, Ammon's teammates only needed to make three plays. The Braves' right hander struck out 15 Swenson batters. The Braves infielders made three plays and the offense made sure that 18 outs was all their pitcher would need when Yothers drove in her second run of the game, invoking the 10-run mercy rule.
"She's doing a great job in the circle," High commented. "We score a couple of runs for her and we're in good shape. She keeps us in games."
Emily Ammon had had four hits in the game, including an RBI double. She and Camryn Bailey also had two RBI's each. Abby Tobelmann had three hits as did Hailey Yothers.
Meanwhile, Central Columbia, the runner up from District Four, blanked District Eleven champ Palmerton 2-0 on Monday, setting up a quarterfinals round game at Pine Grove High School against the Braves where a win would put the Braves into the PIAA semis for the first time in program history.
"Everyone wants to keep going and finish what we started," High said. "We're also getting great leadership from our seniors. That's always great to see."
The Braves improved to l7-5 and their win over Swenson marked their 11th in their last 12 games.
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