The possibilities Johnston County Little League imagined at the start of the week have almost become reality.
North Carolina shut out the Southeast team from Lake Mary (Fla.) Little League 4-0 Saturday night in the Purple Bracket championship, advancing to Sunday’s Little League Softball World Series championship game against the Central Region team from Kentucky.
“I think it’s awesome,” Johnston County Manager Ben Catarozzoli said. “It’s what we set out to do. We felt all along that we had a team that was top to bottom as good as any team here. Felt like we could make a run at it.”
Anna-Lynn Clark once again set the tone in the circle, adding 11 strikeouts to an already dominant World Series performance. Clark has now pitched 20 of Johnston County’s 24 innings, allowing just three runs while striking out 35 and walking five.
Johnston County gave her an early lead to work with.
Parker Montgomery’s second-inning bunt single eventually turned into the game’s first run when Belle Cox dropped a two-out single into right field. Clark then helped create the second run herself, leading off the third with a single and stealing second before Campbell Swearengin’s sacrifice bunt brought her home.
Sophie Catarozzoli followed with a double down the left-field line to make it 3-0.
Finally, Mortensen added an insurance run with a two-out single, scoring Abbey Robinson and making it 4-0.
That was more than enough for Clark.
Southeast managed just one hit over the final two innings, and Clark closed the game with two more strikeouts in the sixth to complete the shutout.
The win came in front of an announced crowd of more than 1,800 people, with support for Johnston County extending well beyond the team’s family and friends.
“We knew friends and family would be here, but to see people from Pitt County, who it’s supposed to be a rival with us, be out here and supporting us, and people reaching out from all over the country that are falling in love with these girls for the way that they play, can’t say enough about the support that we’ve got,” Catarozzoli said. “The crowd was unbelievable. More than we could have ever asked for.”
Now Johnston County is one win away from a world championship.
The Central Region, winners of the Orange bracket, await Sunday at 3 p.m. with the Little League Softball World Series championship on the line.
“We kind of looked at Kentucky and Florida going into this as the biggest threats to us,” Catarozzoli said. “So we’re not surprised at all that it’s the two of us that are left standing. So it should be every bit as good as this one was today hopefully.”