2008

CH:   Fort Hill 

F:  Col. Richardson

SF:  Western STES

SF:  Bohemia Manor

1A WEST (#1 seed)

#1 Fort Hill 19-1

def 18-4 Allegheny  5-0

1A NORTH (#4 seed)

#1 Pikesville

def Sparrows Point

1A EAST  (#3 seed)

#1 Pocomoke 15-3

def Col Richardson  8-5

1A SOUTH  (#2 seed)

#3 Glenelg 13-6

def Perryville 3-1

Pocomoke 2  Fort Hill 0  (1A Final)

(5/23) "Freshman Bittingham Shuts Down Fort Hill"  Freshman Annah Brittingham had Fort Hill off-balance all day long, allowing just two hits in spoiling the Sentinels chance to repeat as the Maryland 1A Champions with a 2-0 shutout Saturday at U. of MD's Robert E. Taylor Field. As is usual in big games, pitching dominated on both sides. Brittingham was superb in not allowing Fort Hill to get comfortable at the plate, striking out 11 and allowing just the two hits. Fort Hill’s Shari Beavers was strong as usual, and recorded 13 strikeouts and walked one. Beavers allowed six hits, but suffered from some uncharacteristic errors by her Sentinel defense. A bang-bang call at first base loaded the bases for the Warriors in the top of the second inning, and the first run scored when the throw back to the pitcher got away. “We always play great defense and make very few errors,” said Fort Hill Head Coach Mike Bittner, “but you’re going to make some at some point.”  One run would have been enough for Brittingham, who never faced more than four Sentinels in one inning. Fort Hill got a runner on third base in the second when Olivia Stanley placed a ball right on the left field line for a triple and the Sentinels’ first hit. They would get another runner to third in the fifth when Cierra Miller reached on an error, and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt from Alyssa Yost. “I thought we were going to get something there,” said Bittner regarding the fifth inning. “We made a couple moves, and I thought it was going to work out, but it just didn’t pan out.” Fort Hill got a runner to second in the sixth, but a pop out and a fly out ended the threat. The Warriors would score their second run in the sixth inning with the use of two singles and a passed ball. Kasey Tapman led off the inning with a single to left field after fighting off three pitches with a 1-2 count. Beavers got the next batter to strike out, but a passed ball allowed Tapman to move to second. Sarah Scher then delivered a single to left that scored Tapman and pushed the lead to 2-0. “They were the best hitting team we’ve run into all season,” said Bittner. “The entire lineup, one through nine, could hit.” Pocomoke finished with six singles but were only able to get more than one in an inning once. The Warriors did come up with some solid contact, but had enough trouble doing so to strikeout 13 times against Beavers. Even when the Sentinels were able to make contact, most of the time it wound up being an easy pop-up to an infielder or a fly ball to an outfielder. “She is an outstanding pitcher, especially for a freshman,” Bittner said of Brittingham. “She really kept us off balance all day. We really didn’t look like ourselves at the plate out there.” It appeared to be one of those days where nothing would go right for the Sentinels, but Bittner kept faith in his team until the end. “I never got the feeling that we weren’t going to win. We’ve been in situations like this before, and up until the last out I felt like we could do it.” The Sentinels also lost a 19-game winning streak that ran back to April 4. The last time the Sentinels lost was a 2-0 decision to Allegany on March 30. “I’d love to be able to say that we finished with 21 wins instead of 20, but 20-2 is a pretty good season,” commented Bittner. “I hope these girls realize that. They’ve been a part of something special the last couple of years.” Bittner had some special comments to say about his departing seniors. “When my coaching staff and I took over three years ago, we pretty much had Shari and sort of threw together the rest of the team. All of these girls bought completely into our philosophy, and they’ve been successful together. All of them will be impossible to replace, and I know they will all go on to great things.” Cumberland Times-News  Fort Hill finishes the season with three team championships. The Sentinels are the winners of the Appalachian Mountain Athletic Conference, tied for first in the Cumberland City League and won the Maryland 1A West Region crown. “We got a good jayvee team coming up that lost just one game, so hopefully we won’t miss a beat for next season. It’d be great to get a shot at Pocomoke again, but we’ll have to deal with the other teams in the extremely tough West Region first.” 

"Warriors: Flat Out #1"  The Pocomoke softball team entered Saturday's MPSSAA 1A state championship game against Fort Hill expecting a low-scoring game. Sentinels senior pitcher Sheri Beavers had given up just two earned runs all season, and the Warriors had one of their two standout freshmen on the mound in Anna Brittingham.But it was Brittingham who proved to be the better pitcher on this day, allowing just two Fort Hill hits and striking out 11 to make the Warriors' two runs stand up for a 2-0 victory and the title. "It is amazing," Brittingham said. "I never thought I would come and actually win the state championship. It is just the best feeling in the world. I was told this team could hit like crazy, and I was coming out thinking, 'I don't know if I'm going to win.' Luckily, I came out and had my focus going." The victory gave Pocomoke its first state softball crown after previously not making it past the semifinals in three attempts."When the season started, I knew we had a good team, but I never dreamt of being in the state championship and beating a team that was defending state champs," said Pocomoke senior catcher Kirstie Dennig, who earned her first softball title after already winning four for field hockey. "We are part of history now."

The Warriors missed an early opportunity in the top of the first inning when Beverly Weaver drew a lead-off walk, advanced to second on a groundout, then was held at third on a two-out single by Brittingham. She would then attempt to score on a passed ball and was tagged out at the plate by Beavers. But Brittingham, who said she traditionally struggles in the first inning, showed no sign of it in the bottom of the first, striking out the first two hitters, using her rise ball and then drawing a pop-up from Beavers. She used that pitch frequently in the game, going to it in key situations and racking up the strikeouts. "I love when a girls swings at a rise-ball, because they just look foolish," Brittingham said. "I just love it so much. It is just a great pitch, and I work on it all the time." Pocomoke didn't waste an opportunity in the top of the second when freshman Skylar Hall had a smart at-bat, drawing a walk from Beavers and advancing to second on a wild pitch. Senior Sarah Scher then laced a solid single to pit runners at first and third with one out. Taylor West beat out a bunt single, and the throw back to Beavers from the first baseman sailed into foul territory, and Hall showed some heady baserunning by scoring on the play, scoring for a 1-0 Pocomoke lead.

Brittingham sandwiched a pair of strikeouts around a Fort Hill triple in the bottom of the second, then pitched a one-two-three third. With the lead in hand, she started to cruise. "I felt completely comfortable in about the third inning, when I saw almost the whole lineup and I saw what they could do and just worked with that," Brittingham said. As the game when on, Brittingham seemed to get stronger and more confident, which spelled trouble for the Sentinels. "I think she did," said Dennig, who had a great view behind the plate. "I think all the excitement and momentum and knowing we had the early lead and had to hold them. We know how people can come back, because we are a clutch team and we come back. I think she had that in her head, and she just got stronger and stronger every inning." Pocomoke had two on with one out in the top of the fifth, but For Hill escaped without a run. They were not so lucky in the top of the sixth, when shortstop Kasey Tapman singled, moved to second on a passed ball, then scored on a one-out single by Scher. "Everybody was just trying to get their hit, trying to get on base," Scher said. "The pitcher was really good, I have to give it to her, but we were prepared. We practice every day, and we also have great pitchers to practice from." Scher called it a "good comfort run," but with just six Fort Hill outs to go in the game, it was huge.

"Getting one is great, but in my gut I didn't think one was going to be enough against this team," Pocomoke coach Ron Trostle said. "Getting that second one, you breathe a little better." Brittingham gave up her final hit of the game on a changeup to the No. 9 hitter in the bottom of the sixth. But she got the next three hitters to escape without issue, then struck out two of three in the seventh. Scher led Pocomoke at the plate, going 2-for-3 with an RBI, while Tapman, Brittingham, Dennig and Amber Holland each had one hit. "I think we peaked at the right time," Trostle said, "and the season speaks for itself." Note:  All but two of the players on the Pocomoke softball team were a part of the 1A defending champion field hockey squad, and some, like Dennig, have played on four of the school's six consecutive state champion field hockey teams. "It's an advantage, too, because we all know how everyone plays," Dennig said. "Even with field hockey, like softball, it just makes us able to read each other better. It is so much easier to play. We are like a big family all school year. It is pretty easy to go right into softball season."  Source: Worchester Times (DelMarvaNow.com)

Pocomoke  14  Glenelg 3

(5/19) Experience trumped exuberence. As Glenelg walked off the field following a thorough 14-3 loss to Pocomoke, the Gladiators hardly looked like a team that just had their season ended in a humbling fashion. Maybe its better to be blown out and have the game a foregone conclusion early than to suffer a late inning loss. All but one player is expected back next season for Glenelg, which hopes to become the second Howard County team to win a state title. After starting the season 7-5, many would not have guessed that Glenelg would even be here today. "12 or 13 girls had the chance to play here (at Bachman Park, in the states) to find out what's different from playing at home or at River Hill," said Glenelg coach Dean Sheridan. "Pocomoke is experienced. They did a good job of hitting the ball." Source: WaPo

Freshman Skylar Hall and senior Amber Holland each had three hits while Holland drove in four runs to lead Pocomole to a 14-3 decisive win over Glenelg. "I was never a strong hitter until this season. I've been practicing with my Dad this year and its paid off," said Hall, who also only allowed three runs from the circle as she scattered seven hits and struck out six. "She's very determined, she's driven; its hard to believe she's a freshman," said Warriors coach Ron Trostle.  Glenelg actually held an early 2-1 lead in the bottom of the first on an RBI-single from freshman Hannah Braun and a sac fly by junior Casey Schmidt. Pocomoke then went to work, scoring in bunches thereafter. Gladiators sophomore P Amanda Segrist kept her team competitive but encountered control issues in the later innings. The Pocomoke bats did their part too. "We have a young group here and we're looking to come back (next year)," said Glenelg coach Dean Sheridan. Source: DigitalSports.com

Fort Hill 4   Pikesville 0   (State Semi-Final)

(5/19)  Senior P Shari Beavers made sure an early lead would hold up. She tallied 15 strikeouts and hit a first-inning RBI triple to lead Fort Hill to a 4-0 victory over Pikesville, and a return trip to defend their MD1A title. Beavers relied on a curve ball and rise ball to keep the Panthers off balance. Fort Hill scored two in the first to give Beavers confidence to do her thing from the circle. CF Lindsey Fisher went 2 for 3 with a double, and junior Destiny James added two hits. Pikesville, which was making its first state tournament appearance, had two runners reach in the second with no outs, but Beavers struck out all three to end the inning. "We've committed only 15 errors all season," said FH coach Mike Bittner, pointing out that FH is more than just Beavers on the mound and star hitter Adria Lewis at the plate. Lewis was quieter than in past games but did reach base and score on a sac fly for one of FH's two first inning runs. Panthers coach Alison Bycheck said Beavers was the best pitcher they have seen all season. Beavers hold a 1.16 ERA this year. Junior Olivia Stanley also hit an RBI-triple for the Sentinals. Overall it was a historic run for the Pikesville, which had knocked off Dunbar to win the Panthers' first-ever region title. sophomore CF Abigail Molofsky paced Pikesville with two hits, including a bunt single in the second to put runners in scoring position. Junior 3B Allyson Weiner and senior P Kelly Talbert also tallied hits off Beavers. "Now that we know what it feels like, I know the girls will want to return," said Bycheck. Source: DigitalSports.com

#1 Fort Hill  5   #2 Allegheny 0  (1A West Final)

(5/15)  Shari Beavers was up to her old tricks in the circle, and Adria Lewis continued to hurt the Campers at the plate in ushering the Fort Hill Sentinels to their second 1A West Region title in as many seasons. They are the defending 1A champions. The win stretches the Sentinels' win streak to 18 games -- with their only loss being to Allegheny earlier this year. After allowing a game-opening double to Allegheny leadoff Beth Szymanski, Beavers got the 2, 3, and 4 hitters to look at third strikes. She finished with 10 strikeouts, allowed 3 hits and no walks in completing the shutout. Lewis, who has been on a tear during the playoff- and stretch drive, drove in two runs with a 1st-inning single before roping a home run over the LF fence in the 3rd. Lewis, recall, hit a a two-strike, two-out game-winning, walk-off homer to win the second and final regular season contest between these two rivals just 10 days earlier. "You can never get comfortable against Allegheny," said second-year coach Mike Bittner. "With the bats they have, all it would take is one swing in the seventh (bases were loaded with two outs before Beavers notched her 10th K of the day) to make it a 5-4 game. I have all the respect in the world for Rick Twigg and his staff". Allegheny got another strong performance from sophomore P Hayley Stankan, who shook off the first inning (three FH runs on four errors and Lewis's single) to finish with five strikeouts and only 2 earned runs. The only earned run, besides Lewis' solo shot, came on an RBI single from Lindsey Fisher. "Hayley's the real deal," said Twigg. "She's got all the facilities as a great pitcher right now, and will only get better." Twigg went on to complement Beavers as well. "She was on her game today, and seemed to get stronger as the game went on. When she's pitching like that (all they need) is the smallest run support." Allegheny finished 18-4. Source: Cumberland Times-News

#3 Glenelg 3  Perryville 1   (1A South Final)   "Glenelg nets 4th Regional title; still looking for first state title"

(5/15)  Sophomore pitcher Amanda Segrist stood inside of the pitcher's circle with two Perryville runners on base and her Glenelg team clinging to a 3-1 lead with two outs in the top of the seventh. In tough situations like this, some young pitcher's would lose composure and let the game slip away. But not Segrist, who got the final Panthers' batter to pop out harmlessly to first baseman Casey Schmidt to end the game and claim the Class 1A South Regional title on Friday afternoon. "I don't even know what to say; I was so nervous," said Segrist. "I was nervous before the [seventh] inning started and then I let two runners on. That was really scary for me but we got through it." "I wanted this so bad," she added. "I knew the tying run was on first base and I wasn't going to let that come across the plate." "Amanda really stepped up," said Glenelg head coach Dean Sheridan. "She's a sophomore who has never been in that situation before and she learned a lot in one batter." In throwing her first, complete-game of the season, Segrist struck out four batters and limited Perryville to just three hits. Her counterpart, Panthers junior Hannah Musick, held the Glenelg offense from exploding like it did in the regional semifinals game with a 21-1 victory over Joppatowne. In the bottom of the third, Ali Braun reached on a single.  Braun stole second and advanced to third base on a single by senior outfielder Lindsay Glascock. Faith Walter grounded out to first but drove in Braun. On the throwing error, Glascock scored to give the Gladiators a 2-0 advantage. "We never gave up, even though our hitting was a little slow to come around," said Glascock. Hope LaHayne scored an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth after a Hannah Braun pop fly was misplayed in the outfield. "Both teams played very good defense and I think we both were a little tight at the plate," said Sheridan. The regional crown was only the fourth in the program's history as the Gladiators are still in search of their first state title. Source:  Digitalsports.com

#2 Allegheny 8   Boonsboro 2  (1A West)

(5/11) The second-seeded Allegany Campers opened the postseason with their hitting shoes on, pounding out 15 hits in an 8-2 victory over 10th-seeded Boonsboro in the Class 1A West Region quarterfinals Monday at Carl Belt Field. Hilary Lyons had four singles and two RBIs, Beth Szymanski hit a double and two singles, Bethany Landis had a double and a single, and Jenna Mathews two singles for the Campers. Allegany (17-3) will host the winner of today’s Smithsburg-Mountain Ridge game on Wednesday, at 4:30, at Carl Belt Field. Hayley Stankan worked her way out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the second inning and threw seven solid innings for the win, scattering eight hits and striking out five. Despite the 15 hits, the Campers found themselves clinging to a 3-2 lead after five innings until batting around in a five-run sixth that blew the game open. Mathews, who had two hits in the big inning, singled and scored on a double by Landis for the first run, and Bailey Ellsworth singled home Landis to make it 5-2. Szymanski doubled to right to knock in Ellsworth, and Taran Rosenberger’s RBI single up the middle made it 7-2. After singles by Lyons and Haylie Harper loaded the bases, Mathews singled home Rosenberger with the final run.

Allegany took a 1-0 lead in the second on singles by Katie Alkire and Landis and an RBI groundout by Stankan. Boonsboro was ready to strike back in the top of the second when the first three batters reached base. But Stankan struck out the next three to escape trouble, sending the momentum back to the Campers’ side. Szymanski singled, stole second and scored on a single by Lyons in the third, and singled, stole second and scored on a single by Lyons in the fifth to make it 3-0. Jess Manuel’s two-run triple in the top of the sixth brought Boonsboro (8-7) to within 3-2, setting the stage for Allegany’s big five-run bottom of the sixth. Source:  Cumberland Times-News

#1 Fort Hill  3  Catoctin 2  (1A West)

(5/11) Shari Beavers pitched a two-hitter and started a big game-ending double play in the seventh inning as top-seeded Fort Hill held on to edge Catoctin, 3-2, in the quarterfinals of the Maryland Class 1A West Region playoffs on Monday at Long Field.

The Sentinels, who beat Catoctin 5-4 in the semifinals last year en route to their state championship, lifted their record to 17-1 with their 16th straight win. They will be hosting unranked Clear Spring, a 4-1 winner over No. 4 Poolesville, on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. “The whole thing in the playoffs is win and survive,” said Fort Hill coach Mike Bittner. “Catoctin had a very good team. I told our girls after the game that they showed a lot of character. They find ways to win and get timely hits.”  Beavers struck out the side on only 10 pitches in the first inning and finished with 11 strikeouts and only one walk. The Fort Hill senior also aided herself with a key double that resulted in the first two runs. Lead-off hitter Kathryn Huber became the first Sentinel to get on base as she reached on an infield error to open the fourth. Destiny James then singled up the middle for the first hit off Catoctin ace Megan Prommy. Determined to show she could also win games with her bat, Beavers blasted a hard double to left field that brought in Huber. An error on the throw allowed James to come in for the go-ahead run. After walking Fort Hill slugger Adria Lewis, Prommy prevented any more damage with two strikeouts sandwiched around a line drive back to the mound. Fort Hill scored what proved to the winning run in the bottom of the fifth. Brittany Hines reached on a single, but was out on fielder’s choice on a grounder by Lindsey Fisher. Fisher moved to second on a passed ball and then scored on a basehit by Huber. Catoctin got on the board first with an unearned run in the third inning. Lead-off hitter Megan Olsen reached on a double for the first hit off Beavers. On her attempt to steal third after a strikeout the catcher’s throw got away from the third baseman and she raced home. With rain falling the Cougars got one run back in the top of the sixth. Olsen reached on an error and the Fort Hill lead was sliced to one run with a hard-hit double by Carly Fair down the third base line. Beavers fanned the next two batters and got out of the inning with an infield fly. In the Catoctin seventh, Shannon Kelly got on base on the fourth Fort Hill error. Beavers got the next batter on an infield fly. Then on a grounder to the mound, the Fort Hill pitcher threw the ball to the shortstop James for the second out and her perfect throw to first resulted in the game-ending double play. “With the rain I was working hard on spinning my pitches and taking it just one pitch at a time,” said Beavers. “On the double play I was just trying to get the lead runner and that may have been our first double play. Every game we seem to have something like that happen and it usually carries over to the next game. Hopefully that double play will carry over.”  Catoctin finishes with a 12-5 record. Source:  Cumberland Times-News

Smithsburg 9   Mountain Ridge 4  (1A West)

(5/11)  Smithsburg scored eight runs over the final two innings to turn a 4-1 deficit into a 9-4 win over Mountain Ridge in the second round of the Maryland 1A West Region Playoffs at Glendening Park in Frostburg. Smithsburg’s sixth inning got started when the lead-off batter reached on an error. The Leopards then strung together four straight singles as the team went from being down three runs to ahead by two after a five-run sixth. Smithsburg went on to add three more runs in the seventh. Stavrakar, Murrat and Wastler all had two singles, while Stavrakar scored three runs and Murrat added two. Leopards starter B. Garnard struck out six, walked four and allowed four hits. She hit a double and a single in four trips to the plate. Kelsey Robertson allowed an unearned run in the first inning, and threw four straight scoreless innings afterwards before Smithsburg got to her in the seventh. She had seven strikeouts and walked three in a complete game. The Miners scored twice in the bottom of the first inning on two RBIs from one of Danielle McGinnis’ two hits. Marley Nolan accounted for the other two runs when she went deep with one on in the third. “We had another great year,” said Mountain Ridge Head Coach Martha Mauzy in reference to the team’s 13-3 record. “I’ve been lucky to have a great group of kids, but we just couldn’t put it together. Smithsburg is good team and it should be a good game between them and Allegany.”  Source" Cumberland Times-News

Clear Spring 5   Poolesville 1   (1A West)

(5/11)  The Poolesville "Come back kids" were not given a chance to work their late inning magic that they used on Paint Branch, Brunswick, and Williamsport as lightning moved into area in the top of the 7th ending the game, reverting back to last completed inning  - losing by a score of 4-1. A hard way to end the season.  A tough Clear Spring team meant business as they grabbed the early momentum and banged out 7 hits in the first two innings going up 3-0 and it could have been more except the Falcons strong middle infield of Jackie Winning and Megan Foy made nice plays on a liner to 2B and a hard grounder deep in the hole to get the 3rd out of each inning.  On the other hand - the Falcons were hitting the ball hard - but luck was not on our side yesterday as they were right at the Blazer fielders...one of those days. The Falcons had 2 baserunners in the first frame as Foy walked and Lori Defnet reached on an error, but were stranded. The PV Coach went to the bullpen and Patti Maloney came in to pitch the 3rd and she and the Falcons shut down the Blazers scattering 4 hits and giving up 1 run over the next 4 innings, including a nice play with Winning throwing out a "would be" base stealer.  But the bats still weren't finding the holes.  Finally, Foy started off the 6th with a single and Amy Defnet blasted a triple to left center scoring Foy to make it 4-1.  To get speed on the bases, Coach Wohnhas put Nicole Kirchoff in to run, however  the Falcons were be robbed again as Jen Bateman lined a screamer - but right at secondbasemen to end the inning. Then in the top of the 7th, the storm moved in and the umps stopped the game at first sight of lightning, and when the second sighting of lighning occurred, they called the game.  A tough break for the Falcons and a hard way to end their season. Clear Spring was strong up and down their order and continue on in the 1A West Region to face last year's State Champ, Fort Hill. Source:  Pv parent

Fort Hill set to Defend 1A title

(5/8) The Fort Hill Sentinels (16-1) will open defense of their MD 1A softball title against Catoctin on Monday. Fort Hill tuned up by beating rival Allegheny (16-3) in dramatic fashion; via a two-run home run by Adria Lewis with 2 outs in the top of the seventh to come from behind to beat the Campers 4-3. The win gave Fort Hill the Appalachian Mountain West Athletic Conference championship and a share of the City League title. The victory avenged a 2-0 loss to Allegheny in the second game of the season. FH's Cierra Miller survived a three-run third inning and finished with a five-hitter to remain unbeaten in seven outings. The junior RH pitcher had nine Ks and three walks. With two outs in the top of their final at-bats, Fort Hill's Lewis was down to her last strike when she sent a Hayley Stankan fastball over the LF fence for her 5th HR of the season. Some -- including FH's coach Mike Bittner -- questioned why Allegheny didn't intentionally walk the big hitting Lewis. "I wouldn't have pitched to her," said FH's coach Bittner. "She can flat-out hit the ball and she hits in the clutch." Allegheny coach Rick Twigg took the blame for the loss. "I went to the well once too often when I called for a high fastball when I should've called for a high-high fastball." Since the teams are seeded #1 and #2 in the 1A West, there is a good chance they will do it all again for higher stakes soon. Source: Cumberland Times-News

Fort Hill (20-1)

def Pikesville 4-0

Pocomoke  (16-3)

def Glenelg  14-3

  2009

1A

Pocomoke

2-0

C: Pokomoke 16-3

  F:  Fort Hill  20-2

SF:  Pikesville

SF:  Glenelg  13-7