Upper Sussex junior all-stars’ comeback kicks off district tourney

With their backs up against the 10-run mercy rule, the Upper Sussex Junior League Softball All-Stars scored eight runs in the bottom of the fifth to take a 9-8 lead over Lower Sussex June 29. Adding three more in the sixth while conceding just two in the seventh, the girls advanced with a 12-10 victory.

Incoming Cape freshman Lyla Hunsberger, one of the main contributors to the comeback, remained positive no matter the score, cheering her teammates from the dugout and at her shortstop position. The Beacon alum’s attitude was contagious, even down 8-1 late in the game.

“We were talking and just trying to get our confidence up, because if you don't have confidence, you're not going to do good,” Hunsberger said. “We were trying to just relax and realize it's just the game.”

Lower Sussex jumped out to an early lead thanks to timely power hitting and a few errors, scoring two runs in each of the first four frames. Despite being down seven, Upper Sussex remained confident. 

“If you have a bad attitude, then your teammates are going to have that attitude and it's going to spread around,” Hunsberger said. “Then you're not going to do good and play to your full potential.”

Taegen Forester got the team stepping in the right direction with a lead-off walk in the fifth. Upper Sussex pitcher Chloe Tonge joined her on the base paths with a one-out walk. Forester scored twice in the inning, and in between, Tonge, Mary Kate Dougherty, Olivia Ludwig, Grace Dougherty, Olivia Mekulski and Hunsberger all crossed the plate to give Upper Sussex a 9-8 lead.

Tonge kicked off the sixth inning with another walk, her third of the game, and came around to score along with Ludwig and Grace Dougherty, padding the lead to 12-8 heading into the top of the seventh. 

Lower Sussex scored twice to make things interesting, but Emmalise Ludwig ended that comeback bid by catching the third out of the seventh inning.

The 12-10 victory led to a June 30 game against Laurel, which Upper Sussex lost 10-1. With one loss in the double-elimination tournament, Upper Sussex played Western Sussex after deadline July 1. The winner would need to beat undefeated Laurel to claim the District 3 title.

Win or lose, Hunsberger said competing along with new players for the combined team is exciting.

“It's really fun to get to know everybody,” she said. “And you really make a lot of good friendships by playing on a team, and you learn a lot of life skills.”