Windermere softball’s great run through the World Series tournament ended in the championship game tonight at Portland’s Alpenrose Stadium, 16-1. Windermere fell victim to Albuquerque’s timely hitting and solid defense.
Albuquerque came into tonight’s game the only undefeated team in the tournament, batting a collective .350. They also had their ace, Shannon Stein, available to pitch. Stein had not allowed any runs or even hits in the tournament. Windermere’s ace. Lauren Mathis, couldn’t pitch because she threw 8 innings in Windermere’s 1-0 victory over Hawaii.
Lefty Lexie Blair took the rubber for Windermere when Albuquerque batted in the top of the first. Blair walked leadoff batter, Katherine Sanchez, on a 3-2 pitch. Andrea Howard, who was batting over .600 for the series, clubbed a ball in the left center gap that rolled to the wall for a triple, driving in Sanchez. Blair went 3-2 to Jessica McAlister and had to put a pitch over the plate. McAlister lined it just fair down the right field line for a double, scoring Sanchez.
Pitcher Stein hit a soft liner over second for a single and McAlister scored when the throw to the plate bounced away from Windermere catcher Wheless. Stein came around on a passed ball. Windermere was down 4-0 before they even came to the plate.
Stein, a dark haired right hander who has command of a fastball, changeup, and screwball, gave up her first hit of the series to Maria Pagane in the first inning. The Albuquerque defense got everyone else, holding Windermere scoreless.
Windermere allowed Albuquerque only one run in the second despite giving up three hits, one of them a double. The inning ended on a throw from Pagane at short to Wheless at home to tag out McAlister. At the end of two Windermere trailed 5-0.
Blair set down the side unassisted in the top of the third, catching two line drives and striking out Ariana Strunk. Pagane came in to pitch a scoreless fourth and in the bottom of the fourth Windermere mounted its only threat.
Wheless, the tall blonde catcher, tapped a change up to third and beat it out for an infield single. Pagane grounded a hard single between second and third which the right fielder threw over the second baseman’s head, allowing Wheless to take third and Pagane cruise into second. Stein swept dirt from the rubber with her right foot and threw a wild pitch that bounced away from the catcher allowing Wheless to score the first run off Stein in the tournament. Blair walked, but that was all for Windermere. Sidwell grounded out sharply to second base and the next two batters hit comebackers to Stein.
Things fell apart for Windermere in the top of the fifth. After retiring Stein on a slow roller to second, Pagane walked the bases full. Manager Mathis brought in Blair to pitch to number nine hitter Taylor Jones, telling Blair to make Jones hit. Blair could come back in to pitch because she went to left field after leaving the mound. Blair walked Jones, forcing in a run, but then struck out Sanchez looking on a fastball for the second out. Left-handed first baseman Howard broke the game open with a shot in the right center gap for a bases clearing triple, and then scored after an understandably despairing error when the throw to third got away. Albuquerque scored 11 runs before Windermere recorded the third out, taking a 16-1 lead into the bottom of the fifth.
Windermere needed to score six runs in their half of the fifth to keep the game going because of Little League’s ten run rule that ends any game after the fourth inning when one team leads by ten or more runs. Windermere went down swinging. Wheless hit a hard double to left which was probably the hardest blow struck against Stein all series. The Albuquerque defense made some great plays on line drives and ended the game when Pagane’s liner bounced off Stein’s leg to Martinez at second base who got Pagane by a step. Albuquerque celebrated with tears of joy and a victory lap around the field with the championship banner.
Manager Mathis said before the game that Windermere needed to play a perfect defensive game to win. They weren’t perfect tonight, but they kept fighting. “Win or lose,” Mathis said, “we know we’re one of the best two teams in the world.” The team returns home to Central Florida tomorrow to start school. Many of them will play on a travel team this fall. No matter where they play in the future, they, their families, and their fans will remember with pride what they accomplished this summer.
