The host District 4 softball team defeated George J. Hummel from Seymour, 7-0, to win the Junior League New England pool title on Wednesday afternoon.
District 4, with players from Milford, Orange and North Branford on its roster, will play Mid-Atlantic pool champ West Point (Pa.) Thursday morning at 9:30 for the East Region crown and a berth in the World Series.
Seymour forced a second game to decide the New England titleholder with a 2-0 victory on Wednesday morning.
Seymour scored two runs in the bottom of the second inning and pitcher Jenna Geffert shut out the potent District 4 attack.
In the second, Becca Johnson singled, Shari Minalga reached on an error and Tori Kellogg bunted her way aboard to load the bases.
Rebecca Findley lined a fly ball deep to right field, and Jenna Thomas’ throw to the plate resulted in a collision with both Johnson and D4 catcher Amanda Mendillo hitting the ground.
Johnson was safe, and with Mendillo prone in the batter’s box and the ball at the backstop, Minalga also crossed the plate. A rule interpretation was asked for, and after a short delay and a phone call to the Little League office, the play stood.
The winner-take-all second game saw District 4 take a 3-0 lead in the top of the second inning.
Emily Muzyka hit a sole home run to get the rally started. After Thomas singled, Hannah DeSousa sacrificed pinch-runner Emily Mullins into scoring position.
A pair of groundouts and a single by Nicole Koshes pushed the score to 3-0.
Seymour threatened, but couldn’t get a run across, as D4 righthander Julia Haeckel at the top of her game.
Seymour’s best chance came in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Findley was hit by a pitch and Jovanna Hillman singled to put the first two batters on base.
A wild pitch moved them into scoring position. Haeckel recorded a strikeout, and then fielded Chelsea Avila’s bunt but her throw to third was too late for the forceout.
Haeckel put another out in the book on strikes to leave the bags full, and District 4 tacked on two runs in each of the sixth and seventh innings.
Thomas led off the sixth with a single, pinch-runner Mullins was sacrificed up a base by DeSousa, and Marchitto ripped a line-drive RBI double to left field.
Koshes singled her home for a 5-0 lead.
Caitlin Parisi singled in the seventh before Muzyka slugged her second home run — this one off the scoreboard in left-center field to make it a 7-0 game.