Wilson County (N.C.) tops Levittown again

LAMAR, Colo. -- After two walk-off wins in three days, Levittown ran out of magic Thursday afternoon.

The Slammers fell to the Wilson County (N.C.) Xtreme for the second time in the tournament, 1-0, in the semifinals of the Babe Ruth 16-Under Softball World Series. Levittown (5-2, 2-1 bracket play) had the tying run on first with one out in the seventh, but Wilson County pitcher Caroline Smith struck out the next two batters to end the game.

The loss dropped the Slammers into an elimination game at 5:15 p.m. Friday and was the team's second defeat at the hands of the Xtreme (6-0, 2-0).

"We laid an egg," Slammers coach Mike Gordek said. "We didn't execute. There were three times in the game when we needed to lay a bunt down, but our girls just missed the signs or something. Just like the song goes, 'Mama said there'd be days like this,' and today was one of those days."

Smith and Levittown's Ashley Massoni were locked in a no-hit duel through three innings, but the Xtreme got on the board in the top of the fourth. Smith led off the inning with a triple to leftfield and scored on a Massoni wild pitch to give Wilson County a 1-0 advantage.

The Slammers loaded the bases in the fourth after Meghan Acton's single and walks to Sabrina Gordek and Samantha Basile. Shamar Sanchez appeared to draw a walk that would have sent Acton home and tied the score, but the umpire called Smith's 3-and-1 pitch a strike. Sanchez lined out to third to end the inning.

"That was ball four, but the ump didn't want to call it," Mike Gordek said. "The head umpire just told me that his guy missed it. You don't ever want to win or tie a game with a walk, but in a one-run game, we'll take anything."

Levittown put the tying run on third base in the fifth after Massoni reached on an error and courtesy runner Kim Nowak was moved over by sacrifice bunts by Alexa Serrano and Toniann Pasquaralle, but Kristen Arbiter fouled out to the third baseman to end the threat.

The Xtreme had a chance to take a 2-0 lead in the sixth, but Slammers leftfielder Basile threw out Morgan Renfrow at the plate to end the inning when she was trying to score from second on a single.

Smith overshadowed Massoni, who pitched the first perfect game in 16-Under World Series history on Tuesday, by throwing a one-hit shutout.

The Slammers won't find out who they're playing until the 3 p.m. elimination game before today's contest is completed. A win would put Levittown into the championship game against Wilson County Saturday afternoon.