Gracie Riccio’s solo home run in the bottom of the fifth inning gave MOT a 4-3 victory over Connecticut in the Senior League softball East Regional semifinals this evening.

The Middletown-area all-stars will face host Worcester, Mass. in the East championship game on Wednesday at 1 p.m.

At stake is a berth in the Senior League World Series being played in Lower Sussex.

MOT improved to 4-1 by handing Connecticut i(4-1) its first loss of the tournament. Worcester, Mass. also has a record of 4-1 going into Wednesday’s title game.

The score was knotted 3-3 when Riccio (2 hits) hit her homer to center field.

Winning pitcher Myranda Talmadge finished with 12 strikeouts and one walk in throwing an eight-hitter. Talmadge (2-for-3) also hit a two-run double as MOT scored three runs in the first inning.

Lucy Ponden singled home MOT’s first run. Connecticut tied the contest in the top of the fifth.

Lower Sussex in Series: The Lower Sussex softball all-stars won’t have far to go to play in the World Series.

Lower Sussex earned the District II title and a berth in the Senior League softball World Series with two wins over Upper Sussex on Monday night.

Lower Sussex won by scores of 3-1 and 8-6 in the best-of-three series in Little League’s age division for 13-16 year olds.

The World Series, which is being played at the Lower Sussex complex, begins on Monday. The tourney includes 10 teams and is being played at Roxana for the 19th straight year.

Major League

MOT 15, Washington, D.C. 0: The Delaware state champions stayed alive in the East Regional with the shutout win today.

MOT is now 1-1 in the tournament being played in Bristol, Conn. It plays again on Wednesday at 1 p.m.

Already leading 10-0, the Middletiown all-stars capped off the victory five runs in the fourth. They finished with nine hits in the contest.

Baseball

Intermediate

MOT 11, Pennsylvania 0: MOT left no doubt that it is the team to beat in the Intermediate baseball East Regional this morning.

The Middletown area squad posted an 11-0 victory over Pennsylvania to remain unbeaten and advance to the East championship game.

Now 4-0, MOT will play in the finals on Thursday at 9 a.m. at Dover Little League. If the Middletown squad loses, a second title game would follow at noon.

The East champion earns a trip to the Intermediate World Series in Livermore, Calif.

In today’s victory, Mason Guth allowed just two hits with eight strikeouts in five and a third innings. Kai Johnson went 3-for-3 with a two-run single in MOT’s six-run fifth inning.

Keystone, Pa. is now 3-1 and plays in the losers’ bracket finals on Wednesday at 1 p.m.

Junior League

Laurel 9, Massachusetts 3: The Delaware state champions stayed alive in the East Regional with the win this evening.

Laurel (3-1) faces another elimination game on Wednesday when it takes on New York at 2 p.m. in DuBois, Pa. A win would give the Sussex County squad another game at 5 p.m.

The East championship game is on Thursday.
Earlier in the day on Tuesday, Laurel was edged by Pennsylvania, 3-2.