SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. >> After the no-hitter disappeared and the shutout melted away, Honolulu Little League pitcher Jennalyn Sniffen still kept her eye on the bigger prize.
Sniffen shut down a late rally by Northern California and the Hawaii state champions advanced to the Little League Softball World Series (ages 11-12) in Portland, Ore., with a 2-1 victory Friday afternoon.
With the bases loaded in the sixth inning, Sniffen got Northern California’s Miah Rodriguez to hit a ground ball to Kailani Pajarillo at first base to end the game and earn a Western Regional title. It not only put Honolulu Little League into the Little League Softball World Series, it put the team on a plane back home until the team flies back to the mainland to meet the Central Region champions on Aug. 7 on the first day of the eight-day tournament.
“I’m excited for our team and what we can do out there, show our talent and represent where we’re from,” Sniffen said.
It was far from a typical final inning for Sniffen, who otherwise breezed through the Little League Western Regional as Hawaii went 4-0 with three shutouts. Sniffen opened the tournament with a no-hitter over Utah and then defeated Washington by shutout in back-to-back games.
A second no-hitter and fourth shutout were two outs away before Hawaii’s advantage began to evaporate.
Northern California’s Olivehurst-Linda Little League got its first hit when opposing pitcher Hallie Prather singled to right against Sniffen. Alexa Carino followed with her own single, a bloop past first base and inside the right-field line.
When Northern California’s Kendall Harris walked to load the bases, it put the tying run at second base in the sixth inning.
Sniffen struck out Rylee Gillespie, the last of her eight strikeouts, but then hit Alauna Kelley with a pitch on the foot as Hawaii’s lead dwindled to 2-1. It was the first run Hawaii allowed in 24 innings at the regional.
When Sniffen got Rodriguez to ground out to end the game, the players on the field met the players rushing from the dugout in a mob on the third-base side of the infield.
“There were a lot of things that could have happened,” assistant coach Daniel Ho said about Northern California’s sixth-inning rally. “Because they support one another and trust one another (we won). The bond has been really special.”
It showed early when Sniffen retired the first three Northern California batters she faced before Hawaii leadoff hitter Nikki Chong hit the second pitch of the bottom of the first inning for an inside-the-park home run down the left-field line and a 1-0 advantage.
Sniffen helped make the second run happen when she hit a leadoff triple down the right-field line in the fourth inning. Taryn Ho hit a one-out sacrifice fly to bring home Sniffen for a 2-0 advantage.
The run would prove to be crucial when Northern California sent seven batters to the plate in the final inning.
“One of the things we wanted to accomplish was to get an early jump on (Northern California) and that is what we did,” Chong said.
The double-elimination Little League Softball World Series runs from Aug. 7-14, giving Honolulu Little League another week to put its cohesive play on display.
“These girls are awesome, they’re dedicated and it showed on the field,” Daniel Ho said. “We win as a team. The girls played as one unit and I’m proud of each and every one of them for what they have done.”
