ROBBINSVILLE: Great start for Robbinsville at World Series

By Justin Feil, The Packet Group
   Allie Taylor had heard all about the Little League Softball World Series.
   This year, she is one of the new faces that had the chance to be a part of the Robbinsville 12-year-old all-star team that returned to Portland, Ore., with eight players from last year’s team that placed third at the World Series.
   ”Throughout the season, everybody has been talking about it,” said Taylor, the Robbinsville second baseman. “It’s just been really fun.”
   Robbinsville’s fun has come at the expense of the competition. They went 4-0 to take the top spot in Pool B at the conclusion of pool play Monday. Robbinsville was scheduled to play the runner-up from Pool A in the semifinals Tuesday with the final slated for Wednesday.
   ”I feel pretty confident and I think so does the rest of the team,” Taylor said. “We just have to keep working hard.”
   Robbinsville has started its World Series with the same success it has enjoyed at lower levels. It has outscored its four opponents, 32-2. Robbinsville opened with a 3-0 win over Canada, won by forfeit over Asia-Pacific, topped the Southwest representative, 12-1, Sunday, then put away the West team, 11-1, Monday.
   ”I just think we’re continuing to play well,” said Robbinsville shortstop Amanda Allen, who was 1-for-3 with two runs and two RBI in Monday’s win. “It doesn’t matter who we face, hopefully it’ll be a good outcome.”
   Allen was here last year when she played second base. Now she’s at shortstop and Taylor has taken her spot at second.
   ”Throughout travel, I’ve been playing in infield so I’m pretty comfortable with it,” Taylor said. “On this team, since the competition is a lot better than travel, it was amazing to be starting and playing in the infield.”
   Having been in some tough pressure spots before helped Robbinsville, as did having a previous trip to the World Series. There’s no substitute for experience.
   ”I was just happy that we didn’t get fazed by the crowd,” Allen said, “and that we’re in the World Series and we’ve kept playing defense and getting a few hits in there.”
   It’s not always easy to keep their cool. Monday’s game was shown on ESPN3, and being televised was a first for Taylor and some of her teammates.
   ”Everybody was nervous, including the people who were here last year,” Taylor said. “After the first or second inning, everybody forgot about it and kept playing the way we know how to play.”
   Taylor felt much the same way heading out to the World Series for the first time. There were some jitters before the opener.
   ”I think everybody was a little nervous,” Taylor said. “I know the first game, I was kind of nervous. I got the first ground ball of the game so I wasn’t that nervous after that.”
   In the win over the West, Shea Walsh was 2-for-4 with three runs, Mackenzie Medders was 2-for-4, Alexa Petito went 2-for-2 with a run and a pair of RBI, Alyssa Whitman had a hit and drove in two runs, Olivia Moser had a hit and Sarah Mazalewski had Robbinsville’s one extra base hit, a double, to drive in a run.
   ”We’ve been playing really well,” Mazalewski said. “That’s been our goal. If we work hard in pool play, we won all of them, so we know we have a good chance of advancing in the semifinals.
   ”Everybody has to be mentally and physically strong,” she added. “Everybody has to go to bed early. We have to make sure we’re well rested and ready to do well.”
   Mazalewski leads the team with five runs scored in pool play. She is one of the returning players for Robbinsville.
   ”It’s really great because most teams, they only get to come once,” Mazalewski said. “I got to come twice. It’s a great experience.”
   In the win over the Southwest, Allen and Moser each had two hits and two RBI. Grace Maslak, Hannah James and Ashley Veisz scored a run apiece. James also had an RBI. Emma Binder drove in two runs with a hit. Medders allowed no earned runs and just two hits in four innings for the win. She also allowed just two hits in the win Monday over the West.
   ”When our pitcher pitches well, we have good defense to back her up,” Mazalewski said. “We support each other no matter what we’re doing.”
   Lately, the Robbinsville team has built off suffocating fast starts. They scored five runs in the first inning against the Southwest, and they had six runs in the first two innings of their win over the West.
   ”Throughout the season, we were trying to work on scoring runs in the first inning,” Taylor said. “It’s just better. Usually the teams are kind of asleep that inning. We’ve been able to do that the last couple games.”
   A fast start can set back an opponent, and it takes some pressure off the pitching and defense. There is still pressure with an experienced team back and expectations high. Robbinsville isn’t ducking those hopes.
   ”I think everybody on our team really wants to win it this year,” Taylor said. “We haven’t won it yet. Everybody is working really hard.
   ”The competition is definitely harder,” she said. “I don’t think it’s anything we can’t handle. If we do our best, the outcomes should hopefully be good.”
   Even off the field, the team has been able to bond over some unique opportunities associated with being at the World Series. Robbinsville had the chance to participate in the Challenger game where they helped special needs kids play.
   ”We did the Challenger game,” Mazalewski said. “It was a great experience. When they hit the ball or made an out, it was cool to see how happy they got.”
   Robbinsville also participated in the Challenger game last year and it was a meaningful experience. The familiarity with the events and activities planned around the games has been helpful.
   ”It was a little hard to adjust last year to the different fields,” Allen said. “This year we’re a little more comfortable knowing the fields and being comfortable playing in it.”
   When they are not playing, Robbinsville’s players have had the chance to spend even more time together during their latest trip to Oregon. It’s been mostly softball, but there has been some free time and they enjoy their time with each other.
   ”Every girl on the team is super nice and we’re all really good friends,” Taylor said. “We’ve been doing other things. We went to Cannon Beach. We’ve been hanging out in our hotel.”
   The hotel is a hub of the World Series social scene. Robbinsville sees its competition there.
   ”We have a chance to hang out with them on the field and we all stay at the same hotel,” Mazalewski said. “It’s hard. Some of the teams don’t speak English. We talk to some of them, but not all.”
   It adds to the unique feel of a different setting than they get at any other point. The players from Robbinsville that have been there are no less impressed than last year.
   ”It’s really exciting this year,” Allen said. “We have new girls. It’s exciting.”
   For the new girls like Taylor, it’s that once in a lifetime experience that they will not forget. It’s everything that they have heard about, and now get to live themselves.
   ”It’s been an amazing experience,” Taylor said. “Everything is just so cool.”