The Kingston American Legion Post 150 Ulster Fillies softball team had their best-ever run in an 18-under Open or A softball Nationals tournament, finishing second in a tournament in Ocean City, Maryland two weeks ago.
No team has ever gone further in the Fillies’ 23-year history than this 18-U squad, who fought their way out of the loser’s bracket to face the defending champs, the Delaware Express, in the finale. Ulster played 13 games over the five day tournament, boasting a 10-2-1 record.
The Fillies won their original bracket and earned the top seed by blasting past the Emmanus Sting Fastpitch (5-0) and the Diamond Elite (4-0), and tying Akademia in a 2-2 result. Ulster dominated two more games by blanking the Branchburg Blaze (8-0) and Connecticut Freedom Elite (2-0) before stumbling for the first time in a 6-1 loss to the Diamond State Swoop, a defeat which sent them into the losers bracket, where a loss means the end of the road. Instead of clocking out, the Fillies went all in, winning four straight. First they beat the Sting Elite (9-0), the Brewster Rockets (5-1) and the New Jersey Mystic Premiere (7-4) before avenging their loss to the Swoop with a 7-6 walk-off win.
Ulster next advanced with a 5-1 win over the Heartbreakers 18U Gold in the losers’ bracket final before beating the Express in the championship round, leading to the second and deciding game.
Kingston High School Class of 2019 graduate and Jessica Chilcott, who is headed to Iona College, was named the tournament’s Defensive MVP. Also playing for the Fillies were Tori Decker (Cobleskill), Alyssa Finno and Megan Peace (Cortland), Sydney and Shannon Bonewit (East Stroudsburg), Kailey Collins (Ithaca), Amanda Owens (Adelphi), Vanessa Brandt (Potsdam) and Kara Zazzaro (Iona). Also on the team are Jackie Rometo (Valley Central) and Melody Kappel (Greenville).
The Fillies were coached by Rick Spriggs, Mike Chilcott and Trishann Hayes.
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