Valley Sports ReportATHENS — Sadie Wanck's walk-off two-RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning lifted Athens to a wild 7-6 win over Selinsgrove here Wednesday night in the winner's bracket finals, and advanced the team into the championship round of the District 6 Little League Majors Division softball playoffs.
Athens now awaits the winner of Thursday's game between Selinsgrove and Montoursville. Athens will need one win in the championship round, while the winner of Thursday's game will need two to claim the District 15 title.
Selinsgrove took an early 2-0 lead with two runs in the top of the first inning, and kept Athens off the board until a run in the home half of the fifth closed the gap to 2-1.
Selinsgrove answered with a run in the top of the sixth inning to take a 3-1 lead, but Terriana Orshal delivered a two-out RBI single, with the game-tying error scoring on an error on the play, to send the game into extra innings at 3-3.
Selinsgrove scored a run in the top of the seventh, despite being retired in order.
Until International tie-break rules, the batter who made the last out in the sixth inning was placed on second to start the inning. She stole third, then scored on a wild pitch to give Selinsgrove a 4-3 lead.
Athens tied the game on a two-out Selinsgrove error in the home half of the seventh.
Selinsgrove scored on an RBI single and a wild pitch in the top of the eight to take a 6-4 lead.
With Haylee Bickhart on second base to start the home half of the eighth, Khloe Butcher was hit by a pitch, and Cece Shangraw reached on a bunt single to load the bases.
Kendall Butcher knocked home a run with a bunt single to close the gap to 6-5, but Selinsgrove retired the next batter on a fielder's choice, which cut down the tying run at the plate.
After a strikeout, Wanck stroked a 3-2 pitch down the right-field line to plate two runs for the walk-off, 7-6, win.
Kendall Butcher singled twice, scored two runs, and had one RBI, while Orshal singled twice and drove in one run, and Wanck singled and had two RBI to pace Athens' nine-hit attack.
Sophia Barrett, Nora Morales, and Shangraw each singled and scored one run in the win, while Khloe Butcher singled and drove in one run, and Lindsay Ahern scored one run.
McGrath earned the win for Athens, allowing three earned runs on four hits in a complete-game, eight-inning effort. She fanned 12 and walked four.
Athens returns to action Friday at 5:30 p.m.
