SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — More than six decades after Kathryn “Tubby” Johnston Massar tucked her hair under her cap and became the first girl to play Little League baseball, she’s delighted to see two girls in the Little League World Series.
“It’s truly amazing. I’m very happy to see girls playing,” said Massar, 78, of Yuba City, California.
Philadelphia’s Mo’ne Davis and Canada’s Emma March became the 17th and 18th girls to play in the tournament Friday, just the third time in the event’s 68-year history that two girls are in the same series.
Davis threw a two-hitter to help Philadelphia beat Nashville 4-0. She had eight strikeouts, becoming the first girl to throw a shutout in Little League World Series history.
“It’s very unreal. I never thought at the age of 13 I would be a role model,” she said.
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March did not fare as well, going hitless while batting cleanup and playing first base in Canada’s 4-3 loss to Mexico. But she created some excitement when she drove a long fly ball to right field in the fourth inning that sailed foul into the stands. Then in the fifth, with the bases full, she struck out looking on a pitch that caught the outside corner. The crowd booed the umpire’s call.
Massar played in 1950, leading to a rule barring girls from playing. That rule was overturned in 1974.
In other games, Japan beat Venezuela 1-0, and Pearland, Texas, beat Cumberland, Rhode Island, 6-4.
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