Commotion wins championship title

It looked like a pretty awful omen. After six weeks of playing undefeated ball, the Commotion had its first setback.

It looked like a pretty awful omen.

After six weeks of playing undefeated ball, the Commotion had its first setback.

“I blew the coin toss for home field,” said Thom Alpaugh, Commotion manager.

“Coach Louie Bond told me of his school thesis paper about coin toss probabilities and I called the opposite,” he added.

Fortunately, it didn’t matter. In a rematch of last year’s championship final, the Commotion and Ice battled for the Little League Majors Softball Championship.

Unlike last year, when the Ice prevailed in extra innings, this game was no contest as the Commotion, led behind the strong pitching of Malia Peato, Mollie Alpaugh and Kate Jarecke, dominated the Ice 14-1.

“Malia is in a class by herself,” Alpaugh said. “You’ll hear little or no debate that she is the MVP of the league.”

Others stepped up big time as well.

“Mollie and Kate throw strikes, forcing the other teams to put the ball in play. We let our superior defense do the rest,” he said.

The Commotion struck for three runs in the first inning, as Caroline Najarian and Alpaugh walked and Peato stroked a single.

In the second, fine defense by Julia Batson and Morgan Lassoff kept the Ice scoreless.

In the third, Jarecke ripped a single to bring Marianne Milander home and extend the lead to 4-0.

But in the bottom of the third, the Ice threatened with two on and nobody out.

Alpaugh, however, did her job striking out two and fielding a come-backer to snuff the Ice rally.

The Commotion broke the game open in the fourth inning, after walks to Batson and Elizabeth Dauber, Kari Perry was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Another walk forced in a run, and after a fielder’s choice, Peato stroked the second of her three hits to drive in two more runs before Milander singled her home.

The Ice scored their lone run in the bottom of the fourth, as Natalie D’Amato singled off Jarecke and eventually scored on a single by Bella Fenner.

Charlotte Bond capped the final run of the evening for the Commotion when she singled in the sixth and subsequently scored.

Malia Peato was named MVP and presented with the game ball by the umpires.

The Commotion finished the season 17-4-1.