(Photo by Henry Gray) caption: GRAY DAY: Nancy Gray of the North Carolina Tar Heels in the Princeton Girls Softball Association’s (PGSA) minors division makes contact last Saturday in playoff action. Gray pounded out four hits to help lead the Tar Heels to a 9-5 win over the Washington Huskies in the championship game.

Northwestern, North Carolina Take PGSA Titles Before Rain Dampens Championship Saturday

Bill Alden

Red, white, and blue bunting hung from the fences down the foul lines at Field 1 in the corner of Community Park last Saturday and excitement was in the air.

It was the annual Championship Saturday for the Princeton Girls Softball Association (PGSA) and a quadruple-header was on tap.

In the opening game of the day, the Michigan Wolverines and Northwestern Wildcats hit the field at 9 a.m. to duel for the rookie division (7 and 8 year old players) title.

The game was a nailbiter and the teams headed into the final inning knotted at 6-6 with Natalie Osbourne and Samantha Campisi fueling the Michigan offense.

In the top of the last frame, Michigan took an 8-6 lead on RBI hits by Cameron Davis and Allison Kanter. The Wolverine rally was snuffed out by a sparkling fielding play by Catherine Dyevich.

In the bottom of the inning, Dyevich hurt Michigan with her bat, producing a walk-off single to give Northwestern a 9-8 victory.

With the sun still shining, the North Carolina Tar Heels took on the Washington Huskies in the title game of the minors division (9 and 10-year-olds).

Utilizing the formula of timely hitting and solid pitching, the Tar Heels prevailed 9-5. Hannah Gray led the Tar Heels offense, pounding out a triple, double, and two singles. Genna Garlock and Julia Kahn also chipped in some big hits.

In the pitching circle, the pair of Izzy Trentholm and Megan Shanahan combined to hold the Huskies at bay. Trentholm went four innings and picked up five strikeouts while Shanahan fanned three in two innings of work. Jamacia Ponder did break through for the Huskies, clubbing one of the big hits of the day with a booming double.

At 1 p.m., the Alabama Crimson Tide and the UCLA Bruins faced off for the title in the majors division (ages 11 and 12).

With Jessica Campisi pitching a strong game, Alabama took a two-run lead into the third inning but then storm clouds gathered.

The clouds yielded a thunderstorm and persistent downpour which halted the game and washed out the later junior division title clash between the Michigan State Spartans and the California Golden Bears.

Later this week, majors game will be picked up in progress while the juniors title game will finally get started.

And based on last Saturday’s action, there will be plenty of excitement in the air when the players return to the diamond.

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