Courtesy photo Cambria Heights School District players for West Suburban include (from left): Mara Keefe, Kennedy Fees, Reagan Bills and Nevaeh Worthington.

EBENSBURG — Growing up as an avid softball fan, it became an annual tradition for Reagan Bills to watch the Little League Softball World Series with her family.

While she had dreamed of one day being able to step out onto the sports’ biggest stage, those aspirations have finally become a reality.

As one of 12 local girls on the Johnstown-based West Suburban All-Stars 12U softball team, Bills led her team out on the field in Friday’s Mid-Atlantic Region Tournament championship against Delaware with a spot in the Little League World Series on the line.

Although her team had to overcome an early deficit and battled into extra innings, Bills and her teammates watched their lifelong dreams come true as they earned a 5-4 victory to advance to the Little League World Series.

“I’ve been watching (the Little League World Series) since I was probably 5,” said Bills, who is a student at Cambria Heights and collected 12 strikeouts in the win. “I used to watch all the games and would always say that I wanted to be there someday. It’s so awesome that we actually get to be those girls we used to watch on TV.”

Led by manager Les Gaunt, West Suburban claimed the state championship earlier in July to advance into the Mid-Atlantic Regionals.

West Suburban, which enters the national tournament on a 10-game winning streak, had its biggest test Friday against Delaware.

The Pennsylvania representative bounced Delaware with a 6-2 triumph in the semifinals, but in a rematch after Delaware swept the elimination bracket, the game had a different tone Friday.

Delaware drew first blood after Alyssa Powell’s triple sparked two runs in the first inning, and West Suburban found itself trailing for the first time in the tournament.

“It was a roller-coaster ride, and it was a good test for the girls,” Gaunt said. “They were grinding the whole game. ‘Grind’ is a term I throw out a lot, and those girls knew going in that it was going to be a grind. We beat (Delaware) pretty handsomely the first time we played, and I knew they were not going to sit there and take a second beating very likely. We knew they were going to be prepared, and they gave us a great fight.”

West Suburban eventually responded in the fourth inning as Bills produced an RBI single with the bases loaded, and a fielder’s choice from Adalyn Hines knotted up the score.

Neveah Worthington’s bunt gave her team its first lead of the night, and a groundout from Kennedy Fees drove in another run to make it 4-2.

“I think it was good for us to experience playing down in a big game like that,” said Sadie Divido, who plays third base and is a student at Holy Name Catholic School. “It got really close at times and was really close throughout the night. It was great to experience that and how tough it was.”

Delaware responded in the fifth and plated a pair of runs with two outs, and the two teams entered extra innings with the game tied at four-all after six.

In the final moments, the Cambria Heights duo of Fees and Bills combined for the winning run.

Bills started at second base per the extra innings rule, and a line drive by Worthington pushed Bills to third base.

With a trip to the Little League World Series in the balance, Fees crushed an infield single down the first base line to score the winning run.

“When I got to the plate, I was telling myself ‘just look for the first strike,'” Fees said. “Reagan was at third base, and she has pitched unbelievable all tournament. I knew it was my job to get her home. After I hit, we ran to each other because there is so much history together on the fields. We have been dreaming of that moment. We could not believe we are headed to the Little League World Series.”

It has been a historic run for West Suburban, which clinched its first-ever trip to the Little League World Series.

The team consists of players from numerous Cambria County Schools — such as Blacklick Valley, Cambria Heights, Central Cambria, Conemaugh Valley, Holy Name and Forest Hills — but the natural chemistry on the field has been evident.

“We’ve all become really close the more we’ve played together,” said left fielder Haley Shephard, who is a student at Central Cambria. “I feel like we all kind of knew each other from different sports, but not like we do now. We have girls from multiple schools, but we’ve all become one big team.”

While there is plenty of stardom on the team — highlighted by Bills’ 52 strikeouts throughout the tournament — West Suburban’s greatest trait has been its consistency across the lineup.

“I think what makes us special is just how many good players we have,” said Camilla Gaunt, who is a student at Central Cambria and the daughter of Les Gaunt. “We have so many good players on our team, and that makes us really difficult to play against.”

West Suburban has also received a recent boost from utility player Mara Keefe, who had missed much of the state tournament with a hand injury.

With her wound mostly healed, her presence at the Little League World Series will add yet another weapon to a team that is continuing to roll uphill.

“It’s really nice to be back with the team and exciting to be able to play again,” said Keefe, who is a student at Cambria Heights. “I’ve missed my teammates because we’ve really connected over this period of time that we’ve been with each other.”

West Suburban soon departs for Greenville, N.C., where the tournament is being held Aug. 3-10 at Stallings Stadium at Elm Street Park.

It opens the double-elimination tournament at 7 p.m. Sunday against New England.

“It’s really hard to make it this far,” said Kendal Schilling, who is a left fielder and a student at Holy Name. “Not a lot of girls are going to be able to experience this, and we’re just soaking it all in.”