Johnstown Softball Team Reaches World Series for the First Time

Johnstown, Pennsylvania – The Johnstown 12 and under (12U) softball team has clinched a spot in the Little League Softball World Series following a 4-0 victory over Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Saturday. This marks the first time a team from the West Suburban Little League has advanced to the World Series, which will be held in Greenville, North Carolina, this Sunday.

The game is set to start at 3 p.m. at Stallings Stadium at Elm Street Park and will be televised nationally on ABC. Reagan Bills, the winning pitcher, expressed her excitement, saying, “I’ve been dreaming about going there since I was 5. And now that I’m actually going to the championship game, I don’t know what to say. It’s been crazy.”

Bills delivered a standout performance, striking out 10 batters, including the final out of the game when Tulsa’s Hennah Arias struck out with the bases loaded. Additionally, Bills contributed offensively, hitting a single that allowed Mara Keefe to score in the third inning.

Keefe added to the scoreboard with an RBI single in the fifth, followed by a double from Sadie Divido that brought home Leilah Schilling-Mansour. An insurance run by Mallory Bailor in the sixth inning capped off the scoring for Johnstown.

West Suburban Little League President Jason Subich remarked on the significance of this achievement, saying, “The passion the players, parents, and [West Suburban] community has for this team is truly astounding.” The team’s journey to the championship involved undefeated performances in the double elimination tournament.

Manager Les Gaunt, coaching in his first season with the league, also leads the Ferndale High School baseball team. The road to the World Series began last Sunday, with Johnstown defeating Guilford, Connecticut, 2-1, followed by a 9-0 win against Los Angeles, and then a narrow 1-0 victory over Tulsa on Thursday.

Johnstown will now face Floyds Knobs, Indiana, the Orange Bracket champion, who enters the game with a 4-1 tournament record.