Pitman Little League: Softball News

Coach Tom Grimm Describes the 2008 Pitman 10-11 Year Old Girls Softball Season:  

A great group of girls had a summer experience they will probably remember for the rest of their lives – a District Championship that almost took them to the State finals. The team showed its strong hitting, steady defense, and solid pitching throughout the tournament, with the team’s first three games being decided in only 4 innings due to the 10-run “mercy” rule. The games started on 7/18/08 with a compelling 25 – 3 win over West Deptford. Rebecca Williams went 4 for 4 at the plate, and Brielle Foulk added 3 hits. Julie Gillespie was the winning pitcher. Two days later the team beat Harrison Township 20 – 2. Marisa Grimm pitched a one-hitter, and nine of the Pitman hitters picked up at least one hit. 

After playing the first two games of the tournament at our home field (Alcyon Park), the team traveled to Clayton for the next game, and won 25 – 7. Rebecca Williams picked up the win on the mound, and Devon Nealer and Julie Gillespie each had 3 hits. That win put the team in the District final, and the team had to go back to Clayton, as it was a double-elimination tournament. 

In the District final, the team faced the best pitcher any of the girls had faced all year. Pitman’s thus-far great hitting line-up was held in check, and was down 1 – 0 until the third inning, when Linda Gipe started the rally with a hit, followed by hits by Stephanie Polo, Brielle Foulk, Devon Nealer, and Taylor Beechler. Rebecca Williams added a home run later in the game, which featured great pitching by Marisa Grimm and Julie Gillespie, who combined on a one-hitter. Pitman won the District Championship by a 7 – 2 score, and celebrated first by displaying the District Championship banner to the team’s great parents and fans, and, upon the team’s arrival back home in Pitman, by an exciting ride around town on a Highland Chemical Fire Dept. fire truck. Pitman’s lineup had scored 91 runs in 5 games in the District tournament, but the team anticipated facing tougher pitching in the next round. 

The team didn’t rest on its laurels, as it was then on to the state Section 4 tournament. The first game was against Cherry Hill, and Pitman pounded out 10 hits and won by a 14 – 4 score, with Rebecca Williams adding her second home run.  

Pitman’s last three games were against West Cumberland, and anyone who saw the games will agree this was one of the best match-ups anyone could have hoped for. West Cumberland jumped out to a 5 – 1 lead, but the Pitman lineup eventually got it’s timing back, scoring 11 runs in the last two innings to pull out a thrilling 13 – 10 win. Marisa Grimm (who gave up a chance to see Bruce Springsteen at the Meadowlands that night) pitched the complete game for the win, and Devon Nealer hit a key triple. The next morning the team woke up to see a big article on the game in the Gloucester County Times (with a photo showing Devon swinging at a pitch). 

The Sectional tournament was also double-elimination, and West Cumberland won its next game to earn the right to face Pitman again. If Pitman could win one more game, it would win the Section and move on to States.The final two games were “on the edge of your seat” thrillers, both being decided by identical 13 – 12 scores. In the penultimate game, Pitman fell behind 5 – 0, but battled back to take a 12 – 11 lead going to the last inning. West Cumberland got two runners on base, and Julie Gillespie struck out the next two batters, so that Pitman was one out away from winning the Sections and moving on to States. West Cumberland was able to score the runners, however, and Pitman suffered a heart-braking loss.  

The last game was a “rubber-match” game for “all the marbles.” The teams went back and forth in the first four innings, with Pitman leading 5 – 3 going to the 5^th inning. West Cumberland came back to score 10 runs in the 5^th, taking a seemingly insurmountable 13 to 5 lead going to the bottom of the last inning. Pitman’s girls showed their grit and heart, however, refusing to give up. Seven out of the first eight Pitman hitters got on base, and pushed across 7 runs to get to within 13 -12 with two outs. West Cumberland was able to make the final out, however, to cap a great and well-fought series. 

We’re sure each of the girls on Pitman’s great 10-11 All Star tournament team hope that other championships will lie ahead in their future. If that turns out not to be the case, however, they will have great memories to look back on from the summer of 2008. 

Members of the Pitman 2008 10-11 y.o. All Star Tournament Team: 

Taylor Beechler, Amber Clark, Brielle Foulk, Julie Gillespie, Linda Gipe, Megan Gipe, Marisa Grimm, Anna Hopkins, Devon Nealer, Stephanie Polo, Haley Reif, and Rebecca Williams.