Valley Edges Christmas City, Advances at Little League Softball State Tournament
By: Justin Bradley | SportzWire | July 17, 2026 | Photo courtesy Team photo
WILLIAMSPORT — Every run mattered Friday afternoon, and Valley Little League made the most of its opportunities.
In a tightly contested opening-round matchup at the Pennsylvania 8-9-10 Little League Softball State Tournament, Valley defeated Christmas City 2-1 to advance in the winners bracket.
Christmas City struck first with a run in the opening inning, but Valley answered immediately. Nora Piercy reached base and later crossed the plate to even the score before the first inning came to a close.
The game settled into a pitcher’s duel over the next two innings before Valley broke the tie in the fourth. Grace Eboli reached safely with a double and came around to score what proved to be the game-winning run, while Liliana Smargiassi delivered the RBI that put Valley in front for good.
Valley’s pitching duo of Nora Piercy and Grace Eboli was outstanding in the circle. Piercy worked the first three innings, allowing one run while striking out six. Eboli was dominant in relief, tossing three scoreless innings with seven strikeouts to earn the victory.
The Valley defense backed its pitchers with an error-free performance, while Christmas City’s Roslyn Parry kept her team within striking distance by striking out nine over five strong innings.
Despite collecting six hits, Christmas City was unable to solve Valley’s pitching after the opening inning as the District 17 champions closed out the one-run victory.
The win moves Valley one step closer to a state championship as the girls continue their impressive postseason run.
Top Performers
Valley Little League
- Grace Eboli — Game-winning run, double, 3 scoreless innings pitched, 7 strikeouts.
- Nora Piercy — 3 innings, 1 earned run allowed, 6 strikeouts, scored the tying run.
- Liliana Smargiassi — RBI single that drove in the eventual game-winning run.
- Emma Fredericks and Madelyn Matthews — Each added a hit.
Christmas City Little League
- Roslyn Parry — Complete game, 9 strikeouts while allowing just two runs.
- Lucy Kempinski — Double and one hit.
- Margot Beck — Hit and scored the game’s opening run.
- Anna Landon — RBI single.
Next Up: Valley Little League returns to the field Friday at 6:30 p.m. against West Suburban Little League, with the game moved up from Saturday due to the expected weather. A win would move Valley another step closer to a Pennsylvania State Championship.
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