Fairfield's 9- and 10-year-old softball all-stars showed the heart of a champion. Unfortunately for the girls, they had to settle for second place in the inaugural East Region Invitational on Saturday. New Hyde Park of New York held off a gallant rally by Fairfield to earn a 5-4 victory in the championship game in Fleetville, Pa.
Fairfield trailed 4-0 and 5-2 before rallying for two runs in the top of sixth. Fairfield had the potential tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position with one out. New York pitcher Jenny Hickey wiggled free from the jam to preserve the win.
"I'm surprised it was as close as it was," Fairfield manager Dave McCarthy said. "There's not a team in the world with a 16-1 record. It's a great accomplishment for the Fairfield Little League Girls Softball program. Who knows, maybe we'll see them in the Little League Softball World Series in a few years."
Fairfield faced an uphill battle Saturday. Pitcher Brittany Romero, who went 4-0 in the tournament and 16-0 in the summer, was unable to pitch after firing six innings in Friday's win over Pennsylvania. New York touched Fairfield for four runs in the first inning, including a two-run double by Ann Grimshaw. Zoe Holderied came on to get out of the inning and pitched the rest of the way without giving up a hit.
Fairfield sliced the lead to 4-2 with two runs in the fourth. Abrianna Natoli and Romero were hit by pitches with the bases loaded to force home runs. New York added a run in the fifth, scoring on a wild pitch.
In the sixth, Fairfield rallied with RBIs by Mary Rose Finnigan and Anna Rasmussen. Fairfield loaded the bases with one out. Hickey got a fielder's choice and a groundout to get out of the jam without allowing the tying run to score.
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