Senior Kat Hanson pitches during Sherwood’s 18-0 win vs Glen Burnie in front of home crowd on May 18.

by Maggie Reese ‘24

For a program that has won seven 4A titles in the past 10 years, there are lofty and maybe unfair expectations set each year to add another championship to that storied history. Although softball came up short of winning the state title in a 2-0 loss against Urbana in the semifinals, the team this year still had an outstanding regular season with a record of 18-1, with the one loss coming against Clarksburg on May 3 by a score of 5-2. In nearly every game, softball dominated the opponent with their booming offense and locked-down defense. The Warriors’ regular season included seven games in which they shut out the opponent, and eight games in which they scored 10 runs or more on offense.

Their dominance continued into the playoff. After securing the regional title against Blair in a 4-0 victory, the girls blew away Glen Burnie in the state quarterfinals by winning 18-0. For whatever reason, however, the bats weren’t working in the Warriors’ semifinal matchup against Urbana. Unable to make good contact and hitting a number of popups, Sherwood did not get a hit until senior Kat Hanson smacked a single in the 4th inning. Hanson’s pitch runner reached third base but that was as close as the team got to scoring a run in the game. Urbana scored in the 6th on a sacrifice and added a solo home run in the 7th in their 2-0 win. The Hawks went on to beat Dulaney by a score of 8-2 to win this year’s 4A softball championship.

After moving past the initial disappointment of losing a close game that was decided in the final innings, the players on the team recognized that they had a lot to be proud about. “We had a really great season,” said senior Chloe Patil. “It definitely didn’t end the way we wanted it to, but the lifelong friendships and memories made it unforgettable. I truly wouldn’t have wanted to play with any other group of girls.”