Latin America edges Woodbridge in World Series final
The players may have been from a different town than last year, but the baby blue Delaware District III uniforms were again featured on ESPN Aug. 11, as Woodbridge reached the championship game of the Senior League Softball World Series.
Their opponents from Maunabo, Puerto Rico, representing Latin America, proved to be too much though, scoring four late runs to earn the 6-4 win.
Regardless of the result, Woodbridge manager R.J. Bennett was proud of his team.
"They can cry all they want; the tears are OK, but there is nothing to be ashamed about or feel bad about because they fought hard and they got to this game," he said. "And you don't get to this game by losing. They're a bunch of winners as far as I'm concerned."
It was Latin America's second straight appearance in the championship game. The Maunabo team brought back 10 players from the squad that lost 2-0 to Laurel.
After Latin America scored a run in the second and third innings, Woodbridge batters finally caught up to Maunabo pitcher Jocelyn De Leon. De Leon had struck out five batters and allowed an unearned run through the first two innings, but Woodbridge recorded five hits and plated three runs in the third inning to jump out to a 4-2 lead.
De Leon would be almost unhittable the rest of the way. She allowed just one hit over the final four innings and induced an incredible five straight pop outs to the second baseman.
"You talk to them and tell them to watch for the rise ball," Bennett said. "But let's give credit where credit is due, she was moving that ball enough to get us popping up a few times when it mattered."
Offensively, Latin America figured out Woodbridge pitcher Nikki Widen just in time. Quetzy Rodriguez and Yahelis Munoz opened the fifth inning with a single and double, respectively, before Yairka Moran singled in the game-winning run. Two batters later Wilmarie Martinez smashed an RBI double to add an insurance run.
Woodbridge's chances of even making it to the knockout round of the tournament looked bleak from opening day. The host team lost 5-2 to USA East in its first game of the tournament Aug. 5, despite outhitting its opponent 7-2. Errors and walks proved to be the difference in that game, and some of those same mistakes resurfaced in the championship game. Woodbridge committed two errors, walked two batters and hit one.
"Walks and errors will kill you," Bennett said. "Errors in a tight game like this can be the outcome. I'm not singling anyone out; we simply didn't hit later in the game."
