SHIPPENSBURG- The 12U Ship Maroon softball team, which played in the Chambersburg Suburban League, recently won the league championship, capping off a perfect 14-0 record. Ship won the championship game 8-7 over Fulton County in dramatic fashion, coming back from a 3-run deficit in the bottom of the seventh inning with a 2-out rally.
Kinley Killian took the mound first for Ship Maroon and pitched a scoreless top of the first. Killian went onto pitch the second and third inning as well, surrendering 5 runs on 2 hits and striking out 2. Ship Maroon got on the board in the bottom of the third, scoring 2 runs on three straight singles from Evie Jones, Sydney Carr and Kinley Killian.
Sydney Carr took over pitching for Ship Maroon in the fourth and pitched the rest of the game, giving up 2 runs over four innings on 2 hits, while striking out 9.
Ship Maroon scored 2 more runs in the bottom of the fifth when Killian hit a 2-RBI single to score Jones and Carr, but they still trailed 7-4 going into the bottom of the seventh inning. After Fulton County induced a pop-up and line out for the first two outs of the inning, Brie Lebitz worked a walk after a full count to keep Ship’s hopes alive. Allie O’Donnell also walked, and Juniper Martin beat out an infield single to plate Lebitz. Denae Johnson and Kendyll Ochs both walked to load the bases. Carson Dorsey then stepped to the plate and hit the second pitch she saw up the middle, scoring O’Donnell and Johnson with her walk-off 2-RBI single.
“This was one of the best 12U softball game I’ve ever seen,” said Ship Head Coach Megan Carr. “It had great defense, pitching, and timely hitting, and every player contributed to our win. Nora Herb had a big catch in left in the top of the seventh, and then Carson came through in the bottom of the seventh with that huge hit! It was just an incredibly exciting game that hopefully these girls will remember for a long, long time!”
Ship Maroon was led offensively in the game by Killian, who went 3-4 with 3 RBIs, Jones, who was 2-3 and scored 2 runs, Carr, who was 1-4 with an RBI and 2 runs scored, and Martin and Dorsey with 1 hit a piece and 3 RBIS in the bottom of the seventh. Ochs also doubled in the game and Lebitz, O’Donnell and Johnson all worked walks and scored runs in the seventh as well.
“These girls played their hearts out all season long and really embraced the team concept. It was a pleasure to coach every single one of them and I couldn’t be prouder,” remarked Coach Carr.
