Softball: Chesapeake Outduels Howard for District V Championship

It's been said that pitching wins championships. It was true in the District V Championship game between the Howard County champion the Howard High Lions, and the Anne Arundel County champion the Chesapeake High Cougars.

It was the Cougars and their ace, Megan Hyson, who came out in top at Bachman Sports Complex, winning the game by a final score of 3-0.

The win keeps Chesapeake perfect on the year, improving to 19-0. They move onto the state tournament, where they will have a first-round bye and will then play the winner of the Annapolis/Arundel game Monday at Chesapeake.

Howard falls to 17-2 on the year and also has a first-round bye in the state playoffs. They play the winner of the Wilde Lake/Mt. Hebron game.

The story of the day was senior Hyson, who struck out 15 Lions for her 18th win, notching six in a row at one point. She struck out the side to start the game. Throughout the year, she averaged two strikeouts per inning, according to Chesapeake coach Don Ellenberger.

Hyson allowed only two hits in this game, one on a bunt single by senior Kaci Frick in the second inning, and the other on a single, also by Frick. The Lions only reached second base once in the game and got no further then that.

Hyson focused “on getting my key pitches down and letting my defense do the work for me,” she said. “My rise-ball was really working today. They kept swinging at it, so I kept throwing it. We also mixed in a changeup when they started catching up to it.”

Nearly unhittable this season, Hyson will be attending Georgetown University in the fall, where she has received a scholarship to play for the Hoyas.

Despite Hyson’s effectiveness on the mound, Chesapeake’s bats did not get a hit until one inning after the first Lions hit, when Kimberley Federowicz doubled home Olivia Ravadge for the first run of the game. Ravadge had reached base on a walk from Howard pitcher Kensey O’Neill.

O’Neill went five innings, allowing four hits and two runs, only one earned. She also struck out four while walking just two. The unearned run came when Ravadge crossed the plate again after a double and an error on a ball hit by Emily Kirby.

Sammi O’Connor came in to pitch the sixth inning for Howard. After walking Hyson to start the inning, she gave up a double to Jacqueline Richards, which scored Hyson for the third and final run of the game.

“We need games like this to prove we can play with anybody,” Ellenberger said. “We’ve had some games that ended in blowouts, but these bring you back to reality."

The Cougars also participated in this game last year but were unable to win. They were also unable to lose–due to rain, the game with Glenelg was rained out and a makeup date was never determined. The state playoffs are up next for both teams, and Hyson believes in her Cougars.

“We played a very good team that we didn’t know, but we buckled down when we needed to and this was a good win for us. I think we could go all the way,” Hyson said.