Staff report

GREENVILLE, N.C. — Rowan Little League’s softball team won its opener in pool play on Wednesday in the World Series.

Southeast Region runner-up Rowan breezed to a 7-0 win in Stallings Stadium at Elm Street Park over Central Region runner-up Indiana.

Rowan is in a five-team pool and will play three more pool games over the next four days. The top four teams from each of the two pools advances to a single-elimination format.

Next for Rowan is Oklahoma, the Southwest Region champion. That game is on Thursday at 10 a.m.

Reese Poole pitched a one-hitter against Indiana, striking out six and walking two. Indiana’s only hit was in the first inning.

Offensively, Rowan did most of its damage with bunts.

Eva Shue went 2-for-2 and scored two runs. Danica Rosa and Myla McNeely had two RBIs each.

Rosa’s groundout scored Shue to give Rowan a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second.

Leisha Carter’s sac fly scored Mady Baker for a 2-0 lead in the third.

Rowan’s four-run fourth broke the game open. Josephina Huynh’s bunt single triggered the big inning. Regan Williams had a sacrifice bunt to move Huynh to second.

After Kaylee Furr walked, Brinley Hiatt bunted and an error allowed Huynh to score.  Sophia Redding’s bunt single scored a run. Myla McNeely’s two-run single capped the inning.

Shue scored Rowan’s final run in the sixth when Rosa’s flyball to center field was dropped. Rosa got credit for a sac fly.

Both of Poole’s walks were in the fifth inning, but Rowan had a double play to get out of the inning.

In other pool games on Wednesday, Virginia topped Missouri 4-1 and Oklahoma beat New Jersey 3-1. Arizona played New York late Wednesday.

 

Indiana     000   000    —   0    1   3

Rowan      011     410   —     7      6   1