Chesapeake coach Brittany Owen couldn’t stop telling her team how proud she was of them.
It was for everyone and nearly everything they did against in a 6-1 win over Severna Park on Thursday. Praise was drawn by runners dashing home the moment a ball passed or jumped wild to the backstop, especially in pouring down rain to set the tone with a first-inning run, a rocket throw from right fielder Allison Schaefer to third baseman Kasey Slade to hold a Severna Park runner from scoring, Slade’s first bunt for one of two RBIs, and Amya Murphy’s determined performance in the circle.
“I think we all just really wanted to win it,” Slade said. “And we’re all trying to play the hardest we can every game.”
Confidence, Slade said, was key when it came to taking some chances to achieve that win, going against a strong pitcher. Falcons freshman Quinlyn Bary’s command razed down nine Chesapeake batters, the most the Cougars have struck out this season.
That kind of thing gives Severna Park coach Bailey Benedick pride.
“Starting this many games, it’s a lot to ask of a freshman, but she’s handling it pretty well,” Benedick said. “I think it helps a lot having a veteran catcher like Sally [Trent] behind the plate.”
But what Owen liked to see was the response her batters gave when they returned to the dugout. It didn’t rattle them; they just adjusted. Slade certainly did by driving in two of the six runs.
Not every one of the Cougars’ runs were swiped on a defensive error. In the second, first baseman Ava Cicchetti plated Rylee Hyde on a gound ball to the outfield.
But then, on her next at-bat in the bottom of the fourth, Trent cracked a deep line drive to Hyde in left, easily scoring Severna Park’s first run.
As the Cougars clustered in their dugout after, they just said, “Make sure you hold them.”
“We’re smart with fielding and it was just a good hit. There was nothing we could do about that,” Slade said.
But, her coach said, move forward — and they did.
Hyde and senior second baseman Alana Watts got base hits, priming Slade for her moment.
The Cougars just needed a little movement. Slade beat out a slow roller and Hyde crossed home on a catcher’s obstruction. Watts later scored on a misfire between Bary and Trent, as a few pitches later would Leah Miller, Slade’s pinch-runner.
Chesapeake didn’t let Severna Park’s hopes live long again. The balls seemed to shoot right into Cougars gloves, regardless of whether Severna Park lined it to them or not.
“They want it. They’re family on the field,” Owen said. “They pull themselves together, they come together — if someone messes up, okay, shake it, we move on to the next one.”
Chesapeake — 101 030 1 — 6 6 0
Severna Park — 000 100 0 — 1 2 1
WP: Murphy LP: Bary
2B: CH — Watts, Slade; SP — Bianco, Trent.