ROBBINSVILLE: Softball captures District 12 title

By Justin Feil, The Packet Group
   Past Robbinsville Little League girls 12-year-old all-star softball teams have had to live up to some high standards.
   This year’s Robbinsville team has to live up to its own.
   Eight girls return from last year’s Robbinsville team that reached the World Series, where it finished third.
   ”I think the first thing it does it sets some pretty lofty expectations,” said Robbinsville manager Mark Walsh. “With that being said, we have some experienced girls on the team that we expect to play well.”
   Returning to the World Series is still a far-off goal, but Robbinsville has several challenging steps along the way. Robbinsville took its first step when it won its seventh District 12 Little League championship in the last eight years with a 12-0 win over East Windsor.
   ”I think they played pretty well,” Walsh said. “We’re starting to swing the bats a little better as evidenced by the last game’s results. We realize too we have to play our best softball ahead of us.”
   The Robbinsville roster includes: Amanda Allen, Emma Binder, Hannah James, Grace Maslak, Sara Mazalewski, McKenzie Medders, Olivia Moser, Alexa Petito, Allie Taylor, Ashley Veisz, Shea Walsh, Alyssa Whitman and Devon Witt.
   ”We have a lot of good players that have played a lot of softball and understand their roles,” Mark Walsh said. “When they’re asked to do something, they understand it’s for the benefit of the team. As long as we play as a team and everyone does their part, we’ll be fine.”
   Robbinsville can be encouraged because it improved through each of its three district games. They did not allow a run in their perfect district run. They opened the District 12 tournament with a 4-0 win over East Windsor. Medders fired a perfect game while Taylor’s two-run single and an RBI hit by Petito provided all the run support that she would need.
   ”East Windsor is a good team,” Walsh said. “We beat them twice. As 9/10s, they won the Eastern Regional, so they have some girls that know how to win and they have some good coaching. We knew that would be a good game.”
   Robbinsville moved into the championship game with an 11-0 win over West Windsor, which had won its first game, 15-0. Robbinsville then handed East Windsor another loss, 12-0, in four innings with Medders pitching the first three innings and Petito pitching the final inning. Taylor had four RBI, Moser drove in a pair of runs and Medders, Veisz, Walsh, Allen and Maslak all had single RBIs. A nine-run outburst in the second inning paved the way to the district title.
   ”I think defense is going to be a strength,” Walsh said. “Defense and pitching are going to continue to be a strength for us, like they were last year. With that being said, we have to get contributions from the new girls, and our better players are going to have to play well.”
   Allen has slid over from second base where she played last year to fill the hole at shortstop. Taylor plays second base with James filling in. Petito can focus on third base now with Medders pitching the majority of innings this season. Moser is back at first base and Walsh is catching again. Maslak returns in center field. Witt and Whitman share right field, and Robbinsville has been using Mazalewski as a special pinch runner who can pressure other team’s defenses with her tremendous base running. She also can play center field. Binder plays left field and can catch for Robbinsville.
   ”Certain pieces haven’t changed,” the elder Walsh said. “We did lose our leadoff and shortstop. We lost other girls that played important roles.
   ”We rely on good pitching and defense and the ability to get a timely hit or to execute a bunt.”
   Walsh has stuck with Medders in the circle, but Petito has proven to be a capable pitcher, and Moser can pitch as well. Depth is not an issue at pitcher, particularly with a rule change that moved the minimum innings pitched to require a day off from two to six this year. Walsh was an assistant coach last year and has worked with this group since they began playing. He has seen these girls develop into a championship group.
   ”At this age, you see the girls getting bigger and stronger, which translates into hitting the ball harder and being able to throw the ball farther,” he said. “You see the girls mature, and it translates to their softball skills as well.”
   Robbinsville was scheduled to open defense of its Section 3 championship at North Wall Little League on Tuesday. They will host the state tournament that begins July 11. The regions and World Series are beyond those steps.
   ”It’s something we have not talked about,” Walsh said. “We focus on what today brings. Today is practice at 5 o’clock. (Tuesday) we go play at Wall. We understand the value of each day.”
   Each day, the Robbinsville team is looking for better play than the day before. They got it in the district tournament run that saw them increase their margin of victory with each successive game.
   ”I think that was the mindset after our first district game,” Walsh said. “We were looking to play a better game against West Windsor. Then, we were looking to play a better game against East Windsor. We’re looking to play a better game than our last performance.”
   It’s a long process, and it could make for a lot of softball down the line if Robbinsville can continue to improve on each game. Its goals are lofty again, and there are enough players on the team to understand what it takes to go far and what has to be done. The district crown was just a beginning.
   ”I think it was a very, very fortunate experience that we had to go to Connecticut for the regionals and to Oregon to the World Series. They all know to a girl what the prize is, but it’s not something we talk about.
   ”We never talked about it. It’s going to play itself out. If we play softball the way we’re capable of, we should be OK.”