PB Minors fall one win short of a state title

By Mike Zummo
Posted 7/28/21

One win.

After running off 12 straight victories in tournament play, the Pine Bush Minors softball team’s pursuit of a state championship ended at Brighton Little League, near Rochester, in …

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PB Minors fall one win short of a state title

Posted

One win.


After running off 12 straight victories in tournament play, the Pine Bush Minors softball team’s pursuit of a state championship ended at Brighton Little League, near Rochester, in the championship game, with a 5-2 loss to Mid Island on Sunday, one win short of a New York State title.


“They took it hard,” Pine Bush manager Mary Flynn said. “I took it hard. Of course, we would have liked to win, but having won all our games up until now made it hurt even more. But they played a wonderful game. Our defense was strong, and our bats were as good as they could have been. It was a good matchup for us.”
Pine Bush went undefeated through pool play to take the top spot in the Empire Division. They opened with an 8-1 win over Pine Plains and then followed that on Wednesday with an 11-0 win over St. James-Smithtown. Pine Bush played its closest game of the tournament on Thursday, a 2-1 win over North Bellmore-North Merrick.


Then they came back and finished off pool play on Saturday with a 12-2 win over Penfield, showing they weren’t afraid of the bigger stage.


“We felt we had a strong team,” Flynn said. “We didn’t want to be overly confident, but we were very confident in the girls once we made it through districts. It felt like after districts, anything after that was gravy, but the girls continued to battle and play their hearts out and getting up to states was an incredible experience.”


Then Pine Bush pitched and hit their way into the championship game with a 10-0 win over Fredonia, which finished second in the Liberty Division.


But even though the result wasn’t what they wanted, Flynn reminded the girls that they had a lot to be proud of, and the folks back home supported them.

“I told them you know that everyone back home is supporting us and they’re so excited and proud of us for getting this far,” Flynn said. “And that’s such a young age, is that we can look forward to it continuing. And I’m hoping to get back up here.”

Through their 12-game winning streak, Pine Bush beat their opponents by an average of 7.25 runs per games, with their closest wins coming in the Section 3 tournament, and the District 19 championship game against Chester, and the final pool play game on Saturday.

Even though a core of this group could remain together as they age up through Little League together, a state run is difficult, and even if they remain together, future success, while they will work toward it, is not guaranteed.

“I hope that they remember the fun they had but always remember to play their hearts out right because we never know if there’s ever a second chance,” Flynn said. “Just continuing to play hard and enjoy at the same time enjoying the experience. And you know, and no matter what they do, whether it’s on the field or off the field, just you always give it your all.”