Softball Doesn’t Disappoint: Wins Third Straight Title

 

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By Kaleigh Homer ’15

The Warriors’ softball masterfully handled the pressure of expectations and are 4A state champions, going undefeated for three consecutive seasons. The team beat Anne Arundel’s Chesapeake 12-1 on May 24 at the University of Maryland, College Park. Chesapeake scored their only run off a walk and an error.

“It felt amazing winning states; we had a good strategy going into the game and the season which was to fight the entire time and never let up,” said senior Addie Armbruster.

“Being the seniors this year we wanted to go out with a bang and take home states but also an undefeated record” added catcher Rachel Harrison. “We left it all on the field and came out swinging our bats.” With the victory over Chesapeake, the Warriors have won 62 straight games.

The Warriors beat Bowie in state semis by a score of 10-0. During their 19-0 season, the only teams that really tested the Warriors were Howard in the regional championship and against state semifinalist Blair in the regular season when the game remained tied 0-0 until junior Julie Swarr hit a triple to left field to score two runs.

In the championship game against Chesapeake, the Warriors’ hitters saw the ball very well in the batter’s box. Four players—junior Nicole Stockinger (.712 batting average), Swarr (.492), graduating senior Marybeth Bidwick (.500) and sophomore Kelly Bouma (.490)—entered the state tournament batting .490 or better. Bouma hit an over-the-fence home run, Swarr hit a double, and Bidwick and Stockinger added solid hits to help secure the win. A sign of the young talent on the team, freshman Amanda Berkley hit a triple.

Players on the team said that Howard was the hardest game of the season because they underestimated them a little bit, and it took the Warriors awhile for them to wake up and focus during the game. It was the only game of the season when they fell behind, at one point trailing Howard by a score of 2-0 before going on to win 7-3.

The team is losing some key players to graduation. Harrison will be playing at Frostburg University, pitcher Meggie Dejter will pitch at Towson University and 1st basemen Bidwick will play for Salisbury University.  Still, Coach Ashley Barber-Strunk will demand that the underclassmen continue the program’s indisputable reputation as the strongest team in the state of Maryland.

“I am so proud of the girls; winning states is such a rewarding feeling. As long as we do what we do, we can do anything,” said Barber-Strunk. “We only can take it one day at a time.”