ROXANA – The tears will dry.
The regrets will fade.
The night in the national limelight and the attention it brought their community will become a memory to treasure for the Sussex County all-star softball players.
But they’ll also remember how close they were to the Senior Little League World Series title and the catastrophic inning that derailed them Sunday night on the Lower Sussex Little League’s Bruce Layton Field.
Southwest regional champion Waco, Texas, erupted for all of its runs in the sixth inning, courtesy of seven hits, the last Ky-Li Alonzo’s grand slam, to rally past the host team 9-5.
“It was still an awesome experience, no matter how it turned out. It was great” Lower Sussex catcher Lily Hoban said, still fighting tears and her voice cracking. “Just the time I got to spend with the team, being with them, playing with them, just being with the girls.
“We knew we could do this,” added the rising senior at nearby Indian River High. “We had a bad inning. It’s hard when it’s just one inning, and it just got out of our grip pretty quickly.”
ESPN2 aired the game nationally and several hundred fans filled just about every space around the field and in bleachers where they could see the action, including state-flag-waving Delaware and Texas rooters.
Lower Sussex led 3-0 entering the top of the sixth and starting pitcher Kinsley Hall had allowed just two hits and struck out seven.
“They got one hit, they got another and they went crazy,” said Hall, who was relieved in the inning by Megan Daisey, whose luck wasn’t any better. “We couldn’t stop the momentum. They were hitting good.
“It’s disappointing, but it happens,” added Hall, also heading into her senior year at Indian River.
Waco, which won all seven of its tournament games, had also erased a 3-0 lead in handing Lower Sussex and 8-3 defeat in pool play, keyed by a six-run fifth inning.
“This was a seven-inning game, and six of those innings I was really proud of the way they played,” said manager Sarah Hoban. “Just that one inning. This whole World Series, we had two bad innings, both against this team, and we’re just gonna try to hold onto the good innings, the good memories.”
Hall had singled to lead off the first inning for Lower Sussex. She was bunted to second, went to third on a groundout and scored on Jaya Shaub’s single after clean-up hitter Laniya Lewis was intentionally walked for the first of three times. Lewis later scored on an errant throw.
Hall then made it 3-0 in the fifth when she doubled, was bunted to second again and scored on Hoban’s sacrifice fly.
“They played hard and they didn’t give up and I’m proud of them,” said manager Hoban. ” . . . I think they’re going to take away what an amazing community they live in and how much support came out here for them every night.”
Waco also got a defensive play that helped it eventually earn the title when, in the third inning, center-fielder Lindsay Talafuse made a tough catch running toward the fence that appeared to rob Shaniya Lewis of a three-run homer with two outs.
In the end, it was Waco that celebrated victory and posed for pictures with a championship banner, though Lower Sussex still valued the experience and the effort.
“It was awesome meeting all the other teams, getting to stay with them,” Hall said. “Half of these girls [on her team] are on my travel ball team [Delaware Tribe] so I already know them and we’re close.
“We’ve been waiting for this moment forever but, we just just fell a little bit short.”
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