Rams fall in region title defense

Lose to Perryville in 1A North final; team will only part with three seniors

The McDonough High School softball team has grown accustomed to reaching the Class 1A North Region final under coach Julie Snavely, but the Rams could not earn a spot in Tuesday’s state semifinals after falling to Perryville, 8-3, on Friday afternoon in Cecil County.

McDonough (10-8 overall) spotted Perryville a 5-0 lead, which included Panthers catcher Tiffany White belting a grand slam in the bottom of the fourth inning. The Rams climbed back to within 5-3 on RBI singles by Reid Butler in the fifth and Giana Willis and Morgan Slagle in the sixth, but then White delivered two more runs for the Panthers in the home half of the inning and Perryville claimed the region title.

Perryville will take on Pikesville of Baltimore County, the South Region champion, in the state semifinals on Tuesday at Bachman Sports Complex in Glen Burnie.

“We just couldn’t stop their

catcher,” Snavely said on the bus ride back from Cecil County. “She had a big day against us. I’m proud of these girls. Our seniors have played in the region final all four years. That’s quite an accomplishment and something to be proud of. We only lose three players, but we will have some big shoes to fill.”

After White’s grand slam off McDonough senior ace Alexis Anderson gave the Panthers a 5-0 lead, the Rams battled back with a run in the fifth and two more in the sixth. Jody Parlett tripled and scored on a single by Butler in

the fifth, then Stephanie Adams, Willis and Slagle had consecutive base hits in the sixth, with Adams and Willis each scoring and Willis and Slagle credited with an RBI.

“The girls showed a lot of heart today,” Snavely said. “We were playing a very good team today in Perryville and we fell behind 5-0, but we didn’t give up. We got back to within 5-3, but then they got those three runs in the bottom of the sixth. We’ll have a lot back next year, so we’ll see what happens.”