Lightning surge into semis
Long Reach softball holds off late Atholton to advance in playoffs
Long Reach softball, clinging to a one-run lead in the bottom of the fifth, utilized its speed to provide some much-needed insurance runs.
Jules Dadurka and Taylor Slonac delivered back-to-back singles, promptly stealing second and third. Madison Wise and Sierra Sims brought them in for a pair of runs that proved invaluable as the fourth-seeded Lightning held off No. 5 Atholton, 6-5, in their Class 3A East Region II quarterfinal.
The Lightning advance to the regional semifinals against top-seeded Reservoir.
“We just needed a hit,” Sims said. “Nothing’s too serious, just needed to put the ball in play and that’s what we did.”
Long Reach struck first with runs in the first and second innings. Sims delivered an RBI groundout in the first, while Amelia Bross scored on a passed ball in the second.
However, Atholton responded with three runs in the third. Adara Baldini’s single and Morgan Ryan’s double to deep left-center field set the Raiders up with runners on second and third with one out. Micah Howell and Madeline Skaggs ripped RBI singles, giving the Raiders their first lead of the game, 3-2.
“What we’ve been working on all season came together,” Atholton coach Allyson O’Neill said. “They didn’t give up when they got down, they stayed in it and fought harder. They came back and put people in play, were aggressive at the plate and just never gave up on themselves. That’s all we’ve been working on all season.”
Long Reach quickly regrouped after falling behind. The Lightning bats found more success in the bottom of the fourth. Haiden Saffer singled home Holly Ryan. Saffer later scored on a passed ball.
“I felt like they were getting a little frustrated with themselves, so we came in and had a conversation,” Long Reach coach Heather Clausen said. “Them coming back in gave them the confidence and that needed boost to get out there and really show them what they have.”
Relief pitcher Kaitlynne Streets struck out five of the nine Raider hitters she faced in the fourth and fifth innings. Mixing her pitch speeds and locations, she disrupted the timing of Atholton’s hitters. Feeding off Streets’ energy, the Lightning bats continued to thrive in the fifth, extending the lead to 6-3 on the Wise and Sims RBIs.
“I was just focused on winning and when I’m focused on winning, I don’t think about anything else,” Streets said. “My curveball was actually working really well. That’s what they were missing on most of the time, so I kept throwing it.”
Long Reach’s insurance runs came in handy as Atholton responded with a pair of runs in the sixth. Kyra Holtje launched an RBI triple to deep center and later scored on a sacrifice fly from Ryan. However, Holtje’s hit was the Raiders’ final hit of the game as Streets worked a 1-2-3 seventh inning, capping off the Lightning victory and a berth in the regional semifinal.
“I’m extremely pleased,” Clausen said. “Playoffs are supposed to be about competition and they competed. They earned their win. That’s what we told them, we came out here and earned the win. So, we’re going to go on with the same thought: You have to come out and earn your win just like Reservoir has to come out and earn their win. We’re going to put up a fight, make them earn it.”
Spalding 21, Mount de Sales 1: The Archbishop Spalding softball team has not faced much adversity over the course of the 2022 season, but when it does, the Cavaliers respond in thunderous ways.
After allowing a first-inning run in the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference semifinals against Mount de Sales on Thursday, Spalding pounded out 15 hits and scored three touchdowns in a 21-1, five-inning victory over the
Sailors.
After allowing a run in the first inning, Spalding ace Amaya Carroll sat down the next seven Sailors she faced and 14 of the final 16, allowing just a double to Wright in the third inning and a walk in the fourth. The senior struck out seven.
The Cavaliers offense was the deciding factor with 11 of 13 players collecting a hit. Carroll aided her own cause by delivering three base hits and three RBIs, while Alex Bailey also plated three runs with two doubles and a single.
— Mike Morea
Liberty 21, Loch Raven 0: The playoffs couldn’t have started better for Liberty. On a beautiful spring evening, high-intensity and hard work both offensively and defensively propelled the Lions to a 21-0 five-inning win over Loch Raven in a Class 1A North Region I quarterfinal.
The Lions roared right away, retiring Loch Raven in order in the top of the first. When the Lions came to the plate, Kaelin Ault led off with an inside-the-park home run. It was just the beginning. By the end of the first inning, the Lions posted 12 runs.
Liberty’s Madison Cadieux went 3-for-4 with seven RBIs. Sophia Steele had three RBIs, Natalie Crane and Erin Martin each had two RBIs.
— Emily Hollwedel
Old Mill 17, Meade 0: Danica Lease tossed a no-hitter to lead the Patriots to the shutout win in the first round of the playoffs. Reagan McCoy went 3-for-3 with two solo homers and a double and four RBIs to lead the offense. Hannah Wines doubled, tripled and drove in four for Old Mill, which will meet Severna Park on Monday.
Towson 9, Kenwood 0: The fourth-seeded Generals blanked the fifth-seeded Blue Birds in a Class 3A North Region II quarterfinal. Julianna Leatherwood had two hits, including a home run, and two RBIs. Lexi Predmore struck out nine in three innings, allowing just one hit.
South Carroll 23, Pikesville 5: The Cavaliers broke open their 1A North Region I quarterfinal with seven runs in the second inning. Julia Wellen went 3-for-4 with four RBIs. Sam Rice and Hailey Wolfrey each had two hits and three RBIs.
Arundel 7, JM Bennett 1: Kathryn Wisor threw a six-hitter with 11 strikeouts to lead the Wildcats in their 3A South Region II quarterfinal. Emma Schurr drove in two runs.
Marriotts Ridge 13, Westminster 5: Brynne Mellady finished with a team-high four hits, and Saige Spittler launched a grand slam for Marriotts Ridge. Taylor Coyle went 3-for-3 for Westminster.
Mt. Hebron 7, Centennial 0: Becca Hutchinson and Emma Behel combined to throw a four-hit shutout. The Vikings broke the game open with five runs in the sixth. The Vikings advance to the Class 3A East Region I semifinal against second seed Manchester Valley.
Havre de Grace 8, Joppatowne 0: Lillia Dalton tossed a two-hitter, striking out 15, to lead the host Warriors past the Mariners in a 1A South I quarterfinal. Kinsey Mentzer went 2-for-4 and Natiah Turner added a home run.
Baseball
Aberdeen 16, Edgewood 5: Scoring multiple runs in five of six innings, visiting Aberdeen defeated Edgewood in a Class 3A North Region II quarterfinal. The win advances the Eagles into Saturday’s region semifinal at Bel Air at 1 p.m.
Key 8, Park 2: Sean Boomer went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and three stolen bases as the Obezags advanced to the MIAA C Conference championship game. Top-seeded Key will face No. 2 Concordia Prep Tuesday (4 p.m.) at Gerstell Academy.
Trey Brandon doubled in a run, while Colin MacNabb added an RBI single for Key, which reached the C Conference final for the first time since 2010.
Old Mill 11, Meade 1: Maison Beam went 2-for-4 with a home run and five RBIs to lead the Patriots. Leadoff hitter Caelan Witcher went 2-for-2 with two runs scored and an
RBI.
Dundalk 2, Catonsville 0: Mekhi Mancuso threw a two-hitter with 14 strikeouts to lead the Owls to a win in their Class 4A North Region I quarterfinal.
Patterson Mill 8, Joppatowne 2: The Huskies scored four in the first inning and cruised to victory in their 1A South Region I quarterfinal. Nate Simmons and Sam Schepleng each drove in two runs.
Francis Scott Key 12, Loch Raven 2: The Eagles won their 1A North Region I quarterfinal. Colton Feister struck out seven and allowed two hits in four innings. Bodey Griffin and Feister each drove in two runs.
Dulaney 18, Mervo 1: Dulaney posted a big win in its 4A North Region I quarterfinal. Mason Frohme homered and Nate Smith had three hits, including two doubles.
South River 11, Annapolis 2: Sam Howard threw a four-hitter with seven strikeouts for the Seahawks. Josh Long homered, doubled and drove in three.
Old Mill 17, Oxon Hill 0: LJ Drummond went 2-for-4 with three runs scored and two driven in to lead the Patriots.
Centennial 11, Westminster 1: The 3A East Region I third-seeded Eagles scored 11 runs on just four hits, taking advantage of three Owl errors and eight walks. Cadeyrn Ahern threw a three-hitter with seven strikeouts.
North Harford 9, Harford Tech 5: The host Hawks overturned a 5-1 fifth inning deficit with eight runs to win the 2A East Region I quarterfinal. Kole Iddings had a double and single in the big inning, as did Brian Hauer.
Atholton 7, Wilde Lake 1: The fourthseeded Raiders advanced to the Class 3A East Region II semifinal as Liam Snow was 2-for-2 with an RBI. Scotty Vaszil was 1-for-2 with an RBI.
Girls lacrosse
Harford Tech 17, Havre de Grace 6: The second-seeded Cobras earned a spot in the 1A South Region I championship game. Molly Re and Madison Partridge each scored four goals, while Jordan Strang chipped in three.
Reservoir 20, Atholton 10: The third-seed Gators advanced to the 3A East Region II final. Kat Thayer scored a team-high eight goals with two assists. Alana Leak added four goals and five assists. Karla Carranza made 11 saves.
Marriotts Ridge 10, Howard 9: The top seed Mustangs advanced to the Class 3A East Region I final as Maisy Clevenger scored a team-high five goals. Sofie Bender also added four goals as Grace Hejeebu made seven saves. For Howard, Jenna Vetter scored four goals and added an assist, while Alyssa Gorny had a hat trick.
Boys lacrosse
Reservoir 14, Atholton 6: Joey Schinner and Graham Leary led the Gators as they advanced to the 3A East Region II finals. Leary finished with a team-high five goals. Schinner added four goals and a team-high four assists.
Arundel 20, Oxon Hill 0: Attackman Noah Bell scored two goals and dished off five assists to lead the Wildcats in their playoff opener. Evan Davidson totaled two goals and two assists for Arundel.
Tennis
Gilman 3, Severn 2: Victories in both doubles matches lifted the host Greyhounds to their eighth straight MIAA A Conference championship.
Andrew Hannon defeated Daniel McNair at No. 2 singles, 6-3, 6-1. However, Matthew McNair and Nate Krall both earned singles wins for Severn. Daniel McNair defeated Rohan Milak at No. 1 (6-3, 6-2), while Krall beat Ben Cordish at No. 3 (6-4, 6-2).
It came down to doubles with Gilman’s Andy Brinckerhoff and Alex Nabit scoring a 7-5, 6-0 victory over Aiden Gilroy and Alan Tchamourliyski at No. 1. Luca Paulovich and George Khairallah then beat Luke Fromal and Chris Sixbey of Severn at No. 2 (6-2, 6-1).