Sarah Wright gets an Orange Crush for hammering a homer over the fence. (Joe Lippo photo)
The Venom, led by Veronica Crownover (8) and Katrina McGranahan (1) listen to coach Kevin McGranahan prior to the game. (John Fisken photo)
Wright with dad Ron (left) and the lil’ president of her fan club, cousin Jackson Smith. (Rob Smith photo)
How does Robin Cedillo celebrate the biggest RBI of her career? By takin’ the girls to IHOP! (Dawn Hesselgrave photo)
The dream lives on.
Bouncing back from its first loss of the season, the Central Whidbey Little League Juniors All-Star softball squad rode Sarah Wright’s epic two-run home run to a 4-1 win over Mercer Island Sunday at the state tournament in Shoreline.
Now 18-1 on the season, the Venom stay alive in the double-elimination tourney and will play Woodinville 4 PM Monday.
With two teams eliminated Sunday, Central Whidbey is one of six squads left with a chance to win a state crown.
Wright’s blast, a shot that cleared the fence some 250 feet away, broke a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the fifth.
She had the chance to go yard because Katrina McGranahan, hitting in front of her, had kept the inning alive with a two-out single.
Central Whidbey, which benefited greatly from a top-notch, nine-strikeout performance from hurler Bella Northup, trailed 1-0 into the fourth inning.
Up until that point the Venom were putting runners on, with Emily Licence making it to third in the second, but also stranding them.
That changed in the fourth, when Robin Cedillo ripped an RBI single to left, scoring Northup with the tying run.
The Venom tacked on an insurance run in the sixth, thanks to a sac fly off the bat of Hope Lodell.
With the game on the line, Central Whidbey was flawless in the seventh, taking Mercer Island down one-two-three to make them the first team to exit the tourney.
Lauren Rose snagged a ball and gunned out the runner with a flawless throw to Veronica Crownover at first, followed by Northup throwing nasty heat, whiffing a hapless Mercer Island batter.
Keep up to date with the state tourney bracket:
Coupeville Sports 
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