PHOTO PROVIDED Jersey Shore's Faith Wrench pitches against Williamsport Area in the District 12 major softball championship game in this photo by Amber Savage.

The majority of the Jersey Shore major softball team has seen success at the Little League level. Just two years ago, those then 10-year-old kids made it to the Pennsylvania tournament and finished as runners-up in the state after winning both District 12 and Section 3 tournaments.

Now, they’re looking to repeat that success. But, the players are focused at the task at hand. They aren’t looking down the road. They know they have to win the game ahead of them one at a time, and that means the sectional tournament next.

“None of the girls really talked about it. We try to keep them focused on the next game. We’re not trying to say ‘hey let’s repeat,'” Jersey Shore manager Adam Wrench said. “I mean clearly the girls have high expectations, which I love, but I haven’t had to work really hard or the coaches haven’t had to work hard to keep them grounded. They understand they have to just play one game at a time. They’ve played a lot of softball and know any given day, things can change.”

Jersey Shore opens the Section 3 tournament in Troy against the District 24 champion on Tuesday evening. The tournament runs through Friday.

Jersey Shore can win games big, they’ve done that three times in districts by beating Loyalsock, 19-0, Williamsport Area 16-2 and then Williamsport Area again in the district final, 13-1, in the rematch if game. But, there’s two close games in this postseason run. Jersey Shore edged out defending District 12 champion Montoursville in the winners’ bracket, 5-4.

The team then suffered a tough 3-2 loss to Williamsport Area to force the decisive winner-take-all rematch for the district championship.

No one enjoys losing, especially kids, but it helped the team regroup, refocus and realize what they need to do to win.

“We definitely learned a lot by losing that one game. We were the winners’ bracket team and it was good for the girls to reflect, learn a lot and persevere and bounce back. It taught them a lot of lessons,” Wrench said.

“It reminds me of two years ago when the majority of these girls were 10. They lost the sectional championship on Day 1 and came back Day 2 and persevered. It’s kind of very reminiscent,” Wrench added. “Even though it was a close game (against WALL) we made some mistakes and the other team capitalized, but we learned from the mistakes and came back and took care of business in the championship.”

Montoursville, Loyalsock and Williamsport Area had talented teams this all-star run, and playing them in the District 12 tournament was something that was beneficial for Jersey Shore, especially the two close games.

“You want to have really good competition week in and week out. There definitely were a couple of games where it tested the girls and put them in situations where they can learn from instead of a big blow out game,” Wrench said. “Overall, the girls definitely scored a lot of runs and gave a few here.”

The competition only gets better the further you go in Little League all-stars. That’s true at any level of Little League, but the major division is always tough. Wrench knows Jersey Shore is going to face tough teams in Troy this week.

“We’re going to have to bring our A-game every day. It gets tougher. As I mentioned, districts definitely prepared us. Our district is a tough district. We know sometimes the ball takes a lucky bounce, so we have to score lots of runs and we have to play solid defense and stay away from those close games,” Wrench said. “Those close games, anything can happen. Our goal is to go out and start fast and score a bunch of runs to give us some breathing room. We’re definitely expecting some tough competition and looking forward to it.”

Jersey Shore has a talented lineup that can hit from top to bottom, and that’s been evident throughout districts.

“They can put the ball in play and be aggressive on the bases. Top to bottom, we’re solid. we can do a lot of things with our team, both small ball and play to try to hit the ball,” Wrench said. ” We’re doing everything e can to get these girls on base. We’re really confident all the way around.”

And while the offense is solid, Jersey Shore has two talented pitchers as well that gives Wrench and his staff two options every game to throw. And if one pitcher has an off inning, the other can relieve her and take the game over in Faith Wrench and Riley Bowmaster.

“We have a righty and a left, so we’re able to use their talents and their types of pitches. They really have held a lot of teams in check,” Wrench said. “Though they’re growing and learning a bunch of different pitches, I’m proud they’re able to mix it up and get back in there, throw strikes and let defense do the work. That’s what they’ve been able to do. If one struggles, we have a second ace to go to as well, so we have two really good pitchers.”

Wrench’s daughter Faith has helped this year’s team excel as a pitcher and hitter. And, two years ago, he saw his older daughter Sophia be part of a Jersey Shore 10-year-old team which made it to states. It speaks to the talent in the Jersey Shore area having two teams win District 12 major softball titles within a three-year span.

“It’s exciting and knowing what they can bring a few more years down the road when they get into school ball if they ultimately play there,” Wrench said. “We’re excited and the program started years ago. I coached a lot of these girls since T-ball, so I’m excited to see how these girls have grown and their ability both on and off the field. So it’s been exciting to see.”