by Natalie Murray

The Sherwood softball team never fails to impress, and the Maryland 4A State Championship on Friday, May 27, was no exception. After an intense game, the Warriors defeated the Chopticon Braves 7-2, for their fifth consecutive state title and 103rd consecutive win.

The championship game was quite evenly-matched, with both teams deserving their No. 1 rank on the bracket–The Warriors had been on top throughout their entire season and had not sacrificed a single run in the playoffs; The Braves had battled their way to their first state championships in 31 years. Chopticon had even come back from a seven-run deficit to Blair in the seventh inning of the state semifinals to earn their spot in the championship, so the Warriors knew they would be facing a difficult opponent.

“Going into the game, all we discussed was how we had to start out strong,” said Coach Ashley Barber-Strunk, “Our biggest weakness was we failed to do that.”

After a short, scoreless first inning for both teams, Chopticon managed to score one run in both the second and third innings, and they kept this 2-0 lead going all the way into the fifth inning. For the first time in years, Sherwood was losing.

“I felt so much pressure, but I knew as a captain I had to keep everyone pumped up. I knew I had to make them believe we could do it,” said senior Kelly Bouma.

Fellow captain, senior McKenzie Bina, agreed. “Kelly and I were trying our hardest to keep everyone cheering and focused because we knew how hard we worked and were going to fight until the end,” said Bina.

Fight until the end they certainly did, because the game changed in a heartbeat when a line drive was hit right at senior pitcher Jaime Schmier in the bottom of the fourth inning. Schmier’s reflexes kicked in quickly, and she caught the ball to end both the inning and Chopticon’s momentum.

“I was fired up after I caught the ball,” said Schmier. “I was tired of us not getting hits and tired of us losing.”

Her energy helped the team get back on their feet, as did another major event that happened soon after–After hitting a pop fly in the top of the fifth, junior Brittany Mathis, the catcher, collided with the first baseman and was ejected on the basis of interference.

“My whole heart dropped,” said Mathis.

Though the call left the team without their starting catcher, it also gave them extra drive. Their shock and anger at Mathis’s ejection caused them to step up their game, like when junior Faith “Buggy” Hanrahan, a designated hitter, stepped in to play catcher. They also began to connect with the ball, which they could not do in the earlier innings. Four runs got scored in the fifth inning alone, and that momentum stayed with them the rest of the game. As senior Kara Carney said, “Once we start hitting, we are unstoppable.” In fact, in the top of the seventh inning, she hit a home run to score three runs and put the Warriors up 7-2.

“As soon as I swung the bat I felt it,” said Carney. “This sense of relief just filled my body. I knew I created a steady lead and at that point I knew we won.”

Sure enough, later in the seventh inning, a pop fly was caught by Carney to conclude the game. With such a phenomenal end to another perfect season, the entire team was indescribably happy.

“I think the most satisfying part was being able to come back from being down two runs and ending up winning the game 7-2.” said Schmier.

“I ended with an undefeated career, so I was very emotional,” said Bouma, “I will carry all my memories with me for the rest of my life.”

“We did this five years in a row,” added Mathis. “Who else can say they’ve done that?”