Second in the state

10-11 softball team falls in title game

Friday, July 25, 2008

Click here to enlarge this photo Submitted photo St. Mary’s American placed second in the 10-11 state tournament. In the back row, from left, are Coach Jack Buffin, Rachel Buffin, Michelle Wood, Ashleigh Head, Allison Eichel, Kelsey Bender and Manager Daniel Young. In the front row are Michaela Young, left, Jasmyn Berry, Courtney Wilson, Dianalis Isaza and Sarah Sammons. E-Mail This Article | Print This Story

Early in the game, it looked like St. Mary’s might actually pull off the upset.

In the top of the third inning, down 5-1, Ashleigh Head drove in three runs to pull St. Mary’s to within one run at 5-4. But in the bottom half of the inning, Havre de Grace exploded for eight runs to take a 13-4 lead and never looked back en route to a 16-6 victory.

‘‘With all of the girls traveling so much for four days straight, I think they got tired,” said manager Daniel Young. ‘‘They didn’t give up, but I think they ran out of steam.”

Still, the St. Mary’s players and coaches remained proud of their accomplishment, finishing second in the state.

‘‘They’ve never been to the state level before,” said Young. ‘‘For none of them to have been here before, they really got along well and dealt with the pressures of playing in a game like this.”

The players and coaches said they never gave up hope that a comeback was possible, given the team’s history.

In the squad’s first game with Havre de Grace, St. Mary’s was down 7-4 entering the sixth and final inning before Michaela Young drove in two runs to tie the game at 7. With that in their past, the players knew they had a chance until the final out.

‘‘The whole team started off amazing and we didn’t let ourselves let up,” said Michelle Wood, a Leonardtown resident. ‘‘Everybody’s attention was at its peak and everyone was on their toes.”

Both players and coaches noted that the tournament was a learning experience for the young players who had never experienced something quite like it. Aside from the pressure filled attempted comebacks against Havre de Grace, St. Mary’s had to ward off a final-inning comeback in one of its wins against North Caroline.

Down by two in the final inning, North Caroline had two runners on base but failed to score, which allowed St. Mary’s to clinch the 11-9 win that sent them to the championship game.

‘‘The final game really doesn’t show how well they played,” said Young. ‘‘Even when they got down, they never gave up – they always came back.”

Even with the loss, Wood said the team was proud of what it was able to accomplish in the tournament. To reach the championship game, St. Mary’s had to defeat North Caroline twice and did so with 14-2 and 11-9 wins.

‘‘Most of us were down [after the championship game],” said Wood. ‘‘But most of us know that we played well and we’re just trying to keep our heads held high.”