YOUTH SOFTBALL (18U): BENNETT, SMITH LEAD VALLEY STORM TO CO-CHAMPIONSHIP AT OLEAN SUMMER CLASSIC (16 PHOTOS) (2020-07-26)

Valley Sports Report
OLEAN, N.Y. "”  The Valley Storm 18U travel softball team went 4-1 to earn a trip to the championship game of the Summer Classic here on July 19, but they had to settle for co-champions when rained washed out the title game in the third inning of a scoreless duel.

Athens grad Megan Bennett, playing in her final tournament with the Storm, earned three wins. She allowed three earned runs in 15.1 innings (1.37 ERA), while striking out 25 and walking three.


Pool Play
Valley Storm 6, Synergy 3
Athens' Megan Bennett led the Storm in the pitcher's circle, and at the plate in a 6-3 win over the Olean-based Synergy in the opening game of pool play Friday night.

Bennett allowed three runs - two earned - on three hits, while striking out nine and walking one in five innings of work.

Bennett also had three hits, including a double, and scored one run, and Horseheads' Lexi Wahl-Knowlden doubled and singled, and scored one run in a nine-hit Storm attack.

Elmira's Shelby Smith smacked a two-run home run in the win, while Edison's Reagan Seelye doubled, scored two runs, and drove in one run, Athens' Harley Sullivan singled, and knocked in one run, Waverly's Hali Jenner added a single, Waverly's Aubrey Ennis scored one run, and Athens' Emma Repsher drove in one run.

Repsher drove in a run with a fielder's choice, and Sullivan ripped an RBI line-drive double to give the Storm a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning, a lead it would not relinquish.

Smith's two-run bomb in the top of the fourth inning capped a three-run rally that gave the Storm a 6-1 lead.

Valley Storm 12, Red Devils 0
Jenner tossed a three-inning one-hitter, and Smith banged out three extra-base hits to lead the Storm to a 12-0 lead over the Clarence, N.Y.-based Red Devils Saturday morning.

Jenner struck out two and walked none in three scoreless innings to earn the win.

Smith belted her second home run in as many games, and also had a pair of double, scored two runs, and had four RBI to lead the Storm's 11-hit barrage.

Seelye doubled and singled, scored one run, and had two RBI, and Bennett doubled and singled, scored three runs, and drove in one run in the win, while Towanda's Maddie Maynard singled, scored one run, and knocked in two runs, and Sullivan doubled, scored one run, and drove in one run.

Edison's Bailey Mawhir singled, scored two runs, and drove in one run for the Storm, while Jenner singled and scored one run, and Repsher scored one run.

Smith and Sullivan rapped RBI doubles in the top of the first inning to give the Storm a 2-0 lead.

The Storm added four runs in the second inning - all with two outs, on an RBI double by Bennett, an RBI single by Seelye, and a two-run homer by Smith - to take a 6-0 lead.

A two-run single by Maynard sparked a six-run third-inning rally that also included an RBI single by Mawhir, and back-to-back RBI doubles by Seelye and Smith.

Pride Blue 6, Valley Storm 3
Pride Blue, based in Western N.Y., took an early 4-1 lead, and held on to top the Valley Storm, 6-3, in the final game of pool play Saturday afternoon.

The Storm took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on an RBI single by Ennis, but Pride Blue answered with two runs in the home half of the first, and two more in the second to take a 4-1 lead.

Smith hit her third home run of the tournament in the top of the third to trim the deficit to 4-3, but the Storm stranded three runners in scoring position in the final two innings.

Ennis stroked a pair of singles and drove in one run, and Repsher doubled and singled to pace the Storm's 11-hit attack, while Smith hit a two-run home run, Seelye doubled and scored one run, and Bennett singled and scored one run.

Wahl-Knowlden and Maynard each doubled in the win, and Mawhir and Jenner each added a single.

Bracket play
Quarterfinals
Valley Storm 6, Synergy 3
The Storm scored four runs in their final at-bat to pull out a 6-3 win over Synergy in the quarterfinals of bracket play Sunday morning.

Trailing 3-2, the Storm tied the game on an RBI double by Bennett, then took the lead when Wahl-Knowlden scooted home on a passed ball.

Bennett scored on a passed ball to make it 5-3, and Sullivan knocked home a run with a fielder's choice groundout to provide the final margin.

Bennett earned the win with 2 1/3 innings of perfect relief. She fanned six.

Seelye started for the Storm, allowing three runs - all unearned - on three hits and two walks. She struck out one.

Smith gave the Storm a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning with her fourth round-tripper of the tournament.

Bennett doubled, scored one run, and drove in one run, while Wahl-Knowlden singled and scored one run, Repsher and Ennis each added one hit. Seelye scored a pair of runs, and Jenner crossed the plate once.

Semifinals
Valley Storm 3, Lady Patriots 1
Bennett fired a three-hitter to lead the Storm to a 3-1 win over the Lewiston, Pa.-based Lady Patriots Sunday afternoon in the semifinals.

Bennett allowed one run, while striking out eight and walking one in six innings of work to earn the win - her third of the tournament.

Maynard doubled and scored one run, and Seelye added a double, while Repsher singled and scored one run, and Ennis added a single to account for the Storm's four hits. Mawhir scored a run in the win.

The Lady Patriots scored their only run in the bottom of the first inning, but the Storm did the score in the home half of the third on a sacrifice fly by Smith.

The Storm took advantage of two errors int he fourth to take a 3-1 lead.

Bennett retired the final nine Patriot batters to preserve the win.

Championship Game
Valley Storm 0, Amherst Lightning 0, rained out 3rd inning
The Valley Storm and Amherst (NY) Lightning were locked in a pitcher's duel when the rains came in the top of the third inning, washing out the championship game.

Bennett allowed one hit, while striking out two and walking one in two innings of work.

Seelye and Jenner each had singles for the Storm.

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IN PHOTO: Megan Bennett.