Chloe Cheek scattered five hits, striking out nine and walking only one, and Callie Ousley singled in two huge runs in the fourth inning as the Lake Mary 12U All-Star Team edged Pitt County (Winterville), North Carolina, 3-1, Wednesday morning in the Championship Game of the Little League Softball Southeast Regional at Little League Southeast Park in Warner Robbins, Georgia.
Playing as Team Florida, Lake Mary, now 13-0 in the Postseason, took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Zoey Brandon led off the frame with a single and advanced to second on a single by Avery Little. After a steal of third, Brandon scored from third on a throw to first on a dropped third strike.
In the fourth, Little singled with one out and Brynn Frieser and followed with a single that put runners on Second and third. Ousley then gave the locals some insurance with a two-run single up the middle.
North Carolina broke through in the sixth inning when Allee Scott Gadis hit a liner that Lake Mary’s left fielder missed a diving catch on for an RBI double.
But Cheek was able to retire the next two batters, including a called third strike on the final batter as Lake Mary finished a perfect 4-0 in the tournament and is now a 2-time champion.
The team will now take on its third name of the summer, as they will be Southeast for the World Series, which will take place in Greenville, North Carolina, at Stallings Stadium in Elm Street Park, from August 2-thru-August 9.
Southeast (Lake Mary) will take on Northwest (Snohomish, Washington) in the Opening Game of the World Series on Sunday, August 2, at 10 a.m. on ESPN.
All of the games will be carried by the ESPN Family of Networks.
