EAST TROY — A nail-biter from beginning to end as Troy held off Lewisburg for a 5-4 win and claim the Section III Junior Softball title on Thursday.

Troy led 2-1 after one, then tacked on another run in the third. After that it was a nip-and-tuck contest as Lewisburg tried to chip away.

The teams traded runs in the fourth, with Lewisburg out scoring Troy 2-1 in the sixth to make it a 1-run game.

Troy would hold them scoreless in the seventh to get the win.

"Oh this feels very good," Troy pitcher Lily Weaver said.

The first two games were one-sided affairs with Troy beating Lewisburg 9-1 in the first one, while Lewisburg struck back with a 14-2 win in the second game.

"It was hard, but we got through it," Weaver said about coming back from Wednesday's loss.

Save for a couple batters in the sixth Weaver went the distance in the circle, striking out four. Blaklee Brown came in for a spell in the sixth.

At the plate Weaver (1-for-1) doubled, had an RBI, and scored a run, as Aubrey Knapp (1-for-3) scored twice, and drove in two runs.

Brown (2-for-3) also crossed home twice as Mya McClure (1-for-3) had 2-RBI.

This game was won on the defensive end, though, as Troy used a pair of double plays to get out of innings.

The big defensive play came in the bottom of the sixth when Lewisburg loaded the bases, and had even scored two runs, when they tried tying the game up on a passed ball.

The catcher Knapp was able to get the ball to Weaver in time for the tag to preserve the 1-run lead and end the inning.

"It was very nerve-racking," Weaver said. "I was like, 'oh my gosh,' but we got it."

On Wednesday Lewisburg used their hot bats to take the lead early and never looked back. This time it was Troy getting the fast start as Knapp brought in Brown and Weaver for the 2-0 lead.

"That was really, really good," remarked Weaver.

Troy will head to the state tournament, which begins on July 14 at Corry Little League.

"We're going to work on some mechanics, and make sure we're ready," Weaver said.

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