The John Carroll Patriots entered the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference championship as decided underdogs against top-seeded Spalding. Turns out that’s just where they like to be.
The Patriots scored six runs in the top of the eighth inning to break up a 1-1 tie, then held off the Cavaliers’ rally to defeat Spalding, 7-5, in a crazy championship game at the Weinberg YMCA Field at Stadium Place in Baltimore.
This marks the second straight season that John Carroll (13-6) has beaten Spalding in the final. Before that, the Cavaliers were the four-time Conference titlists.
The Patriots got a complete game in the circle from Emily Hildt, who also had a double in the victory. The win avenged two regular-season losses to the Cavaliers (13-3 and 10-0). John Carroll also did the same to Mount de Sales in the semifinals after dropping both regular-season games to the Sailors.
The game ended on a beautiful throw from John Carroll catcher Juliana Aragon to catch Spalding’s Jalayah Jones stealing second, touching off a wild celebration.
“I knew I had to pick my teammates up,” Aragon said. “We practice every day for moments like this, and I took advantage of mine.”
John Carroll began the eighth inning with Ryan Pindell on second. After a strike out, the Patriots loaded the bases on the strength of two walks. Samantha Claycomb hit a line drive to second base, and the throw went to home plate with Pindell just sliding under the tag of Spalding catcher Zoey Bronzert to give the Patriots a 2-1 lead.
John Carroll’s Mia Anderson came up next and hit into a fielder’s choice for the second out, but that allowed Olivia Guenther to score for a 3-1 lead.
Then the Patriots’ bats came alive. First, Hildt doubled, which scored both Hemphill and Claycomb to run the lead to 5-1. Then Coats hit a monstrous home run to straight center field and the lead swelled to 7-1. Spalding then removed Prince before Brynn Fryer came in to get the final out.
“I just was just trying to do my best,” Coats said of her home run. “I waited for a ball that I liked, and I got my perfect pitch. It was straight on, right down the middle and I knew I was hitting it out.”
Much to Spalding’s credit, the Cavaliers didn’t give up. The Cavs got four singles and a triple by Olivia Rowley to cut the lead to 7-5 with one out. Hildt then struck out Savannah Marshall for the second out. In the next at bat, Jones singled. With Ryanne Clark at the plate, Aragon threw out Jones to end the game.
Both teams posted early runs. John Carroll started the scoring with a Hildt single to left field with one out in the top of the first to score Savannah Claycomb. Spalding responded with a run of its own in the bottom half when third baseman Taylor Cody got a single but used to John Carroll throwing errors to tie the game at 1.
At that point, the pitching started to take over. Both Hildt and Spalding’s Cecilia Prince took command, and both pitched out of jams along the way. John Carroll got a single up the middle to start the seventh by Kalissa Coats, but she was erased when Aragon hit a line drive to left fielder Lily Davey, who then threw to first to complete the double play.
For Spalding, the loss capped a season that saw the young Cavaliers grow into one of the area’s best teams. Still, it ended one win too short.
“We had some tears in the dugout,” said Delaney Bell, Spalding’s coach. “Our girl’s always have the green light on the base paths, and I think [Jones] made the right call there. I didn’t work in our favor, but I wouldn’t change it.”
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John Carroll defeats Spalding for IAAM A Softball title | PHOTOS
IAAM A Conference Championship
(at Weinberg YMCA Field at Stadium Place)
John Carroll 7, Archbishop Spalding 5, 8 innings
JC 100 000 06 – 7 5 3
AS 100 000 04 – 5 9 0
WP: Hildt
LP: Prince
Homer Run: JC – Coates.
3B: AS – Rowley.
2B: JC – Hildt; AS – Davey.