Lake Mary outscored its first two opponents in the Little League Softball World Series 29-0 headed into Thursday’s game, and through four innings, the All-Stars were still posting a shutout.
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Leading 1-0 going into the bottom of the fifth, though, the wheels fell off against North Carolina. The team representing the Johnston County Little League in Clayton, N.C., scored five times on five hits and four errors in a 5-2 victory in Greenville, N.C.
Luckily for Lake Mary, the Southeast Region champs, the Little League Softball World Series is double elimination. The All-Stars will play at 3 p.m. on Friday against the same Northwest Region (Snohomish, Washington) squad it defeated 14-0 on Sunday.
Lake Mary scored first in the top of the fifth inning on a two-out triple by Kylie Green, and she scored when the relay throw got away from NC’s second baseman.
North Carolina bounced back when its leadoff hitter reached on an error. Three consecutive doubles then plated three runs. Three more miscues by Lake Mary, including two passed balls, led to the other two runs.
Lake Mary had a chance to get on the board in the fourth inning, but left two runners on base.
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With one out, Aria Tormos walked with the top of the order coming up, but she was thrown out trying to steal second. The next two hitters, Zoey Brandon and Avery Little, followed with singles before Brynn Fieser flied out to deep center field.
Chloe Cheek pitched well through four innings, allowing just one hit, before the fateful fifth inning. She finished with six strikeouts and one walk in 4.2 innings. Only two of the five runs were earned.
Riley Tolan, who came into the game in relief to get the last out of the fifth with a strikeout, had a double and run scored in the sixth inning.
North Carolina pitcher Anna-Lynn Clark got the complete game win with 13 strikeouts, two walks and five hits. She struck out six straight Lake Mary hitters between the first and third innings, and has combined for 24 strikeouts in two games during the World Series.
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