Rain has plagued the Empire State Huskies 14U National team during the entire summer season and they’ve had many tournaments cut short up and down the Eastern Seaboard, whether it was Florida, Tennessee, Georgia, Pennsylvania or New Jersey.

However, they had five days of sun for the USSSA Eastern National Championships in Ocean City, MD, and the Huskies took advantage of it winning the tournament championship on July 25 with two wins.

The Huskies, which host players from all over the Mid-Hudson Region, including Marlboro High School leadoff hitter, Kalista Birkenstock, entered the final day of competition two days away from the championship and posted 6-5 and 11-3 wins over the Delaware Vipers Black to win the 14A/open championship.

In the first game, the Vipers jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning, and determined to keep the score there, coach Chris Rowan turned to Molly Farley to get out of a one-out bases-loaded jam. She induced a pop-up and a ground out to escape trouble.

Ava Lichtenberger blasted a two-run home run to cut the Vipers’ lead in half. After the Vipers tacked on another run, hits from Kat Hotle and a two-run single by Mikaela Mammola gave the Huskies’ the lead and the victory.

The Vipers won their next game to set up a meeting with the Huskies, which jumped out to an early 6-0 lead and cruised to an 11-3 win behind Farley and winning the tournament.
Farley was named the tournament MVP for her pitching, going 3-0 with two saves and Lichtenberger was named offensive MVP, hitting .705 with two home runs and seven RBIs.

The Huskies opened the tournament with three pool play games on July 22, defeating Hughesville, MD, 6-0 behind two triples from Birkenstock. They were beaten, 4-3, on a walk-off single by the Delaware Express after tying the game on a double by Hannah Bauer.

Empire State righted the ship with a 9-1 victory over the Virginia Stars Cardinale behind a 1-hitter by Lichtenberger and Mammola’s two hits and two RBIs.
Overall, the Huskies finished pool play second with a 2-1 record.

The tournament moved to double elimination play on July 23 and the Huskies beat the NJ Heat 9-1 behind 3 hits from Birkenstock and a home run and three RBIs from Chloe Trimandilis. The Huskies won their second game of the day, 6-2, over the Electric City Bombers, behind two hits and three RBIs from Josie O’Leary and a complete game by Val Pedersen.

The Huskies had two more wins on July 24 as they beat the Lou Gehrig Lasers, 6-2 behind a home run and two RBIs from Lichtenberger and Molly Farley escaped bases-loaded trouble and threw a clean seventh inning for the save. They beat Lady Landsharks, 6-1, behind multiple hits from Birkenstock, Lichtenberger and Josie O’Leary. Farley threw a complete game.