Defending D1 champs looking strong

Huddled under a shelter as tornado sirens blew last year, this team knew what it meant to dig deep.
The Titusville 9 and 10 year old softball team was scared that day, but they rallied to win the tournament.
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"We have a lot of returning girls with championship experience," coach Shawn Beers said. "I know they are 10 year olds but they play 50 plus games a year. They know where to go (on the field) and most of them have had older sisters who have played, they're smart, they're heads up and they just know how to play.”

The one key component Beers was unsure of at first was pitching. They had five returning players from last year's championship team, but their pitchers moved up.

“That was the biggest thing, working on developing new pitchers for this season. (Beatrice Popescu) has thrown really well in travel ball, she's got a really nice snap to her pitches." 
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This team is aggressive on the bases, making things happen with steals and stretch hits into doubles and triples.

“We try to push it,” Beers said, though it cost them a couple runs in their first game against Lakeland which the coach took the blame for sending his runners on a couple passed balls. “I’m used to sitting on the bucket(in the dugout) yelling out to the field,” he said.

They have been having good at-bats as well.
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“We hit very well tonight,” Beers said after last week's game in Conneaut Lake. “A lot of contact, not a lot of bad swings at bad pitches.”

Since the Lakeland game where they won 11-1,  the Titusville team, which has one Oil City player, rolled against Cambridge Springs/Meadville/Vernon 8-0 on Monday and reached the championship final with a 6-2 win over Cochranton/Lakeview.

"We are doing enough to win," Beers said.

Popescu has had a great pitching performances striking out 36 batters in three games.

The offensive aggressiveness has also paid big dividends.

​"Keely Johnson scored two huge runs during the game(on steals) to home on close plays after wild pitches."
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Mary Lesko had a big infield hit that scored a run and Layla Jacoby belted a huge rbi double according to the coach.

Titusville now awaits the winner of the Mid-East vs. Cochranton/Lakeview game for the championship on Monday at home.

Titusville softball is strong. Their 11-12 year old team swept through their division and have moved on to play sections in Union City after winning the District 1 tournament earlier in the week.
They ran into a tough Punxsutawney dropping an opening round game 4-1. They rallied back to beat Clarion 15-5 and Corry 9-6.

They will get a rematch against Punxy tomorrow night a 6 p.m.

The junior league team, which has players from Mid-East and Cochranton as well, is playing for a district title this afternoon at 4 p.m. in Cranberry.