CONNEAUT — The Elyria East Little League 10-11 year-old softball all-stars didn’t want to delay a state championship victory party any longer.

So, manager Chris Sito and the girls defeated host Conneaut 5-2 on Tuesday to claim the title.

“This is one awesome team that we put together,” said Sito. “They played as a team throughout our tournament run. That goes for everyone from the starters to the substitutes. They put the pressure on our opponents with their whole game.”

East put the pressure on right away, scoring two runs in the top of the first inning.

With two outs, Elizabeth Ellis singled and stole second. Madison Fullmer followed with a single before Katie Travers stepped up to the batter’s box.

Travers was hit on the fingers by the first pitch before a passed ball moved Ellis and Fullmer up to third and second.

Travers proceeded to single Ellis home with the game’s first run, and Fullmer raced home on another passed ball.

In the top of the third, Courtney White drew a one-out walk and moved to second on a fielder’s choice ground ball.

Winning pitcher Carly Bachna singled home White before a strikeout put an end to the rally.

Conneaut scored both of its runs in the bottom of the third and threatened to cause further damage in the fifth.

Conneaut’s first two batters in the fifth reached on a single and an error, putting runners on second and third. Bachna then caught a hard line drive and beat the Conneaut runner to the bag at third for a double play before a ground out squelched the threat.

Travers led off the Elyria sixth with a single and trotted home on an Olivia Morris double. Morris later scored East’s fifth run on White’s fielder’s choice ground ball.

Ellis faced four batters in the bottom of the sixth, striking out two of them to earn a save.

“We capitalized on mistakes when we could,” said Chris Sito. “This is a great group of girls to manage. Our coaches – Mike Ellis and Shawn Travers – did a tremendous job of getting the girls to be aggressive and to look for the next base.”
Bachna went the first two innings, allowing no hits or runs and walking three and striking out three.

Ellis came in for the third and fourth innings and finished the game up in the sixth as she gave up two runs three hits, walking two and striking out six.

Jessica Sito pitched the fifth and allowed a hit as she set the stage for Ellis to wrap up the win and to allow the victory party to get started.

“Our pitchers played their roles very well throughout this tournament,” said Chris Sito. “It was really nice to see us shut Conneaut down when they threatened in the fifth inning. We brought Ellis back in to pitch the sixth. She knew how to do the job and got it done.”

Fullmer and Travers finished the championship game with two singles apiece, while Bachna, Angelique Prunty, Ellis, and Jessica Sito each had a single and Olivia Morris had a double. Bachna, Prunty, Travers, Morris and White each had an RBI.

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