'Jacks come up just short against Catonsville
WYE MILLS – The second-seeded Skipjacks liked nearly everything about their effort against CCBC-Catonsville in Saturday's NJCAA Division II Region XX women's softball showdown.
Everything, that is, except for the final result.
Chesapeake's Kellieanne Tyner (15-3) threw a gutsy four-hitter, shortstop Taryn Zietlow had a Sports Center-worthy grab to highlight an errorless defensive effort, and the Skipjacks roughed up Catonsville ace Sammi O'Connor for eight hits. Top-seeded Catonsville, however, used Krystin Elliott's three-run, first-inning homer to pave the way for a 4-3 victory in the winners' bracket final of the double-elimination championship tournament.
"I think we showed that we're here to play," said Ali Jones, whose two-run single capped a three-run sixth inning as the Skipjacks nearly erased a 4-0 deficit.
"We played well yesterday (Friday's 8-0, five-inning win over Potomac State) and we played very well today," said Chesapeake head coach Durrie Hayes.
"Kellieann made some big pitches in some big spots to get out of jams and Ali Jones – what an at bat that was. This is a long way from where she was at the beginning of the season," Hayes said of Jones, who was a little-used sub at the start of the season who has blossomed into a starter.
While the Skipjacks (32-6) left the field Saturday feeling good about their effort, they also left themselves with a lot of work remaining to be done.
Chesapeake will face fifth-seeded Hagerstown – which stayed alive with a 3-2, eight-inning win over CCBC-Dundalk in Saturday's final game – in Sunday's 10 a.m. losers' bracket final. If the Skipjacks beat Hagerstown, they would have to beat Catonsville – and most likely O'Connor – twice on Sunday afternoon to claim the region crown.
"We can definitely do it," said Tyner.
"When we first played them, none of us could hit her (O'Connor)," said Zietlow. "Now we're all hitting her."
Catonsville (37-9) started fast, with first-inning walks to Mercedes Hernandez and Eleni Wright preceding Elliott's two-out, three-run blast to center. Erin Pronobis added a two-out, run-scoring hit in the second to give Catonsville a 4-0 lead, but Tyner (six walks, four strikeouts) blanked the Cardinals the rest of the way on just two hits.
While the Skipjacks put runners on base in four of the first five innings, O'Connor (eight strikeouts, three walks) ran her string of consecutive scoreless innings against Chesapeake to 16. That string ended in the sixth as Chesapeake bunched together three hits and two walks to nearly steal the game.
Samantha Greenwell started the inning with a leadoff walk and went to second on Zietlow's hit off the glove of diving center fielder Pronobis. Michelle Lawrenson's one-out single chased home Greenwell and Cheyenne Riley walked to load the bases, setting up Jones' two-run single.
"We know she (O'Connor) likes to pitch outside . . . so I just stayed back and looked for an outside pitch," said Jones.
Hannah Stringer (two hits) moved Riley to third and Jones to second with a groundout, but O'Connor struck out Kaley Schreiber to end the inning and the Skipjacks went out in order in the seventh.
Notes: Sunday's championship game is at noon. If the team that comes out of the losers' bracket beats Catonsville in that contest, the "if" game will immediately follow, with the winner earning the region crown and accompanying national tournament berth.
Chesapeake 8, Potomac State 0
WYE MILLS – Kellieann Tyner threw a four-hit shutout, getting two hits and driving in two runs to help her own cause, as the Skipjacks enjoyed a satisfying, run-rule win over Potomac State.
The victory avenged a 7-6 regular-season loss to the Catamounts in which the game was called for darkness with the tying run on third and one out in the seventh inning.
Tyner, who also scored a run, struck out three and did not walk a batter.
Stephanie Weyermiller went 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run while Taryn Zietlow and Ali Jones each had two hits, scored one run and drove in another. Eight of the nine Skipjack starters scored a run.
Potomac State starter Meghan Anderson lasted just 2 1/3 innings, allowing the final six batters she faced in Chesapeake's six-run third inning to reach base. Tyner had a two-run double while Zietlow, Kaley Schreiber, Jones and Hannah Stringer each had RBI hits in the third-inning explosion, which broke a scoreless tie.