Zootown softball one step from Little League World Series

After falling to Hawaii 7-4 in last year’s final, the 16-and-under squad was hungry to get another shot at a World Series berth. The team fought through pool play this past week, earning a 3-2 record and advancing to Tuesday morning’s semifinals against fellow 3-2 opponent Northern California.

Across the way at Dale Clawson Complex, Hawaii faced off against Nevada in the opposite semifinal matchup. Both Hawaii and Zootown rolled through their opponents, setting up a 2023 Finals rematch Tuesday night.

“They didn’t ever have any visible panic,” Zootown manager Tim Gray said. “Even throughout pregame and the whole bit, they were all loose and ready to go.”

Northern California opened the contest with a first-pitch double from second baseman Elli Santana. After advancing to third on a sacrifice fly, a wild pitch from Piper Whitman brought the first run home for Northern California.

It was the last run the team scored. Whitman allowed just two hits in three innings before Ally Gonzalez took over for her in the circle. Northern California briefly threatened in the top of the fourth, loading the bases with one out, but two quick outs got Zootown out of the jam.

“These girls all stepped up,” Gray said. “Every one of ‘em contributed.”

Zootown loaded the bases on its first three at-bats in the first inning. Second baseman Sydney Goldbar, a key contributor from last year’s team, drove in the tying run with a single.

Then, the floodgates opened.

Right fielder Kaya Lopez drilled a grand slam, her first homer of the tournament, into dead center field, cracking open the game and giving Zootown a 5-1 lead. The second inning proved bountiful, too, when center fielder Alyssa Hanninen drove in a run and first baseman Haley Sellers brought her home with a two-run homer that increased the lead to seven.

“Kaya is a really good hitter when she finds the middle of the ball,” Gray said. “She found it at the right time. It set a good tone for this game.”

The lone frame in which Zootown scored less than three runs, the third, was followed by a fourth inning that all but ended the game. Zootown swapped homers for singles and doubles, working the full lineup to score five more runs.

Three quick outs from Northern California in the top of the fifth ended the 13-1 game and set the stage for Zootown’s possible evening redemption.

After reaching the national tournament four straight years from 2014 to 2017, Zootown hasn’t gotten back to the World Series since. The experience gained from reaching the semifinal in 2022 and the final in 2023 could help the team overcome the reigning regional champions.

“We’ve been here before, and we’ve come up short,” Gray said. “And we want to not come up short.”

The final will be a quick turnaround for the team, as Zootown will face Hawaii at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Dale Clawson Complex. A ticket to the World Series in Delaware is on the line.