PHOTO GALLERY: Major Division softball tournament Sun., June 22

    Rising Sun and Perryville emerged from the opening weekend as the undefeated teams in the Little League Maryland District 5 Major Division softball tournament being held at Trego Field in Perryville. The two teams will meet Tuesday, June 24 at 5 p.m.
    
Sunday, June 22
Rising Sun 7, North East 6
    Rising Sun scored the tying and go-ahead runs with two outs in the bottom of the fifth and made another good defensive play in the top of the sixth to secure the thrilling victory.

    Trailing 6-5 after four and a half innings, Rising Sun's Jadyn Mann was hit by a pitch to start the decisive rally. After two outs, Malorie Gabriel hit a bloop single behind the circle, barely beating the throw to first to put runners on the corners. Olivia Blethen knocked in the tying run with an opposite field single to left and Ingrid Miller drove home the go-ahead run with a bloop single to center.
    North East's Hannah Gordon reached second on an error to start the top of the sixth and advanced to third on a wild pitch. The next batter, Katie Crouch, drilled a line drive down the third base line, Rising Sun's Taylor Mantyk made a nice lunging grab and stepped on third to complete a double play. Morgan Sargent was safe on an error before Rising Sun pitcher Alyssa Paulette retired the next hitter on a popup to the second baseman to end the game.
    The Rising Sun defense made several key plays. Three times, catcher Madison Cooper caught a North East runner straying too far off third base and Rising Sun got three outs between third and home thanks to the alert plays and execution by Copper and the starting third baseman Paulette.
    North East took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first as Gordon walked and eventually scored on a wild pitch.
    Rising Sun responded with three runs in the home half. Miller bunted and went all the way to third on an error and scored on a wild pitch. With one out, Mantyk reached on an error and Paulette blasted a two-run homer over the head of the centerfielder.
    North East made several good defensive plays of its own, getting two outs at third base in the first and another in the second inning.
    North East scored a run in the third to trim the deficit to 3-2. Maddie Husfelt had the key hit, a single to right field.
    Rising Sun countered quickly. Mann doubled to start the third and Kahlie Kilgore lashed an RBI triple to right. Gabriel drilled an RBI single to left to make it 5-2.
    North East tallied four times in the top of the fourth to take the lead. Maranda Barbon singled to plate Aubrey Runyans.
    With no outs and runners on second and third Paulette came on to replace the starter Mantyk. Crouch got an RBI on a fielder's choice and Sargent delivered a two-run single to right to put North East ahead.
    The Rising Sun left fielder Gabriel made a good catch on a sinking line drive to keep it a one-run game.
    Neither team scored in its next at bat setting the stage for the dramatic finish.

Perryville 8, Elkton 6
    Winning pitcher Mara Little notched 11 strikeouts as Perryville jumped out to a 6-1 lead and fought off an Elkton comeback bid.
    Perryville scored two runs in the top of the first. With two outs and no one on base, Little reached on an error. Peyton Jourdan bounced a single through the hole and the runners moved up on a wild pitch. Arianna Varela grounded a two-run single up the middle to give her team the lead for good.
    Elkton got on the board in the third as Olivia Wheel walked, stole second, and went to third on a throwing error. Wheel scored when Bella Barbato was safe on an error.
    Perryville tacked on four more in the top of the fourth. Abbie James was safe on an error and Justine Bowman singled. After an error loaded the bases, Perryville scored on a catcher's interference call. Krystyn Gardner delivered an RBI single to right to make it 4-1 and Little followed with a two-run single to center.
    Undaunted, Elkton answered with three runs in the home half. Bud Ellis and Wheel each had an RBI and Katara Neal scored when Barbato was safe on an error.
    Sarah Pender knocked in a run to up Perryville's lead to 7-4 in the top of the fifth and Elkton's Haley Krone had an RBI groundout to plate Mary Bramble to make it 7-5.
    Perryville got an insurance run in the top of the sixth keyed by a Varela single.
    Elkton got one back in the bottom of the sixth when Grace Harkey singled home Barbato but Little got the final out on a popup to first.

    Photos and All-Stars rosters from Rising Sun, Perryville, North East, Chesapeake City, and Elkton will be printed in the June 24 edition of The Herald.