Softball sometimes is a game of inches, and sometimes only one run matters.

“Our girls have practiced a lot and worked hard to get here, and they deserved to play in this game,” said Pinelands Regional head coach Kelly Fleck, whose Wildcats fell short against Jackson Memorial, 1-0, in the Ocean County Tournament championship on May 6. “It was a battle, a great game by both teams. Our girls proved they belonged here.”

After seven scoreless innings, the fifth-seeded Wildcats (13-3) batted in the top of the eighth and came just inches…