Northwest Softball Extends Win Streak to Four

After an April 14 loss to Richard Montgomery dropped the Northwest softball team's record to 3-5, head coach Kevin Corpuz said the Jaguars had some "soul searching" to do during spring break.

A talented group with high hopes entering the season, Northwest failed to play up to its expectations during the first half of the campaign and found itself at a crossroads. The Jaguars could continue playing sub-.500 softball, or they could make the adjustments necessary to become a team capable of making a run in the playoffs.

"When we come back [from spring break], the important thing is that we come back and start off on the right foot and just keep going from there because I feel like we’re underachieving," Corpuz told Patch after the loss to Richard Montgomery. "That’s not a negative thing toward anybody on the team, but we have potential. The girls, they’re kind of realizing that they’ve got some good potential, but we’ve got to go out and show it and we need to live up to that.”

After returning from spring break, the Jaguars played like they heard Corpuz's message loud and clear, winning three consecutive games. Northwest made it four in a row on Saturday morning, beating Whitman 7-2 in Bethesda.

The Jaguars (7-5) received another strong start from freshman pitcher Lily Schenkel, who limited the Vikings to three hits and a pair of unearned runs in seven innings. Northwest scored three runs in each of the third and fourth innings and led 7-0 after five.

The Jaguars dropped three of four games entering spring break, including back-to-back losses to Gaithersburg and Richard Montgomery. After returning from break, Northwest won four games in five days, outscoring Walter Johnson (5-4), Magruder (12-2), Paint Branch (3-0) and Whitman by a combined 27-8.

So what changed for Northwest?

"It wasn't changing our approach," senior first baseman Paige Callahan said. "It was taking a  mental break and figuring things out and coming back strong. We know that we're a great team and we're capable of a lot and I feel like that mental break --- spring break --- helped us figure that out."

One reason for the Jaguars' success is the pitching of Schenkel. The right-hander has gone 15 innings without allowing an earned run, including throwing her first varsity shutout against Paint Branch on Friday. Against Whitman, Schenkel walked one, struck out two and threw 49 of 71 pitches for strikes en route to her seventh complete game of the season.

"I felt great," Schenkel said after Saturday's win. "I don't really get that affected by [tough situations]. I just keep doing what I'm supposed to do and I know the team will back me up."

Sophomore Stephanie Miller, Northwest's other starting pitcher, and Corpuz have praised Schenkel for her calmness under pressure. The freshman has a 1.90 ERA in 62 2/3 innings.

"It's been such a pleasant surprise," Corpuz said of Schenkel's performance this year. "You talk about the intangibles again: It's her attitude, it's her grit. She's got that little swagger. Game's on the line, pressure's on, you look at her and you can't tell. She's all about her business and she keeps going to work."

Schenkel benefitted Saturday from a strong offensive performance from the Jaguars lineup. Freshman Jordan Sheppard went 1 for 3 with a run, a triple and an RBI. A reserve player during the first half of the season, Sheppard was moved into the leadoff spot after spring break and is 4 for 13 with four runs scored, two extra-base hits and two RBIs in four games.

Callahan went 2 for 4 with an RBI against the Vikings. Miller was 2 for 4 with a double, Kassie Nantz finished 1 for 3 with two RBIs and Emily Forst was 1 for 4 with two RBIs.

Along with moving Sheppard to the leadoff spot, Corpuz said he made sophomore Taylor Simpson the team's full-time second baseman and moved senior Ciarra Cristostomo into a full-time outfield role.

Northwest will look to continue its winning streak with a 5:15 p.m. home game against Quince Orchard on Tuesday. The Jaguars will host Germantown rival Seneca Valley at 5:15 p.m. Thursday.

"Bottom line, before a team can really become a good team and take it to the next level, sometimes you've got to deal with that adversity," Corpuz said. "It can go one of two ways: It can destroy a team or it can make it stronger, and in this case that's what's happened with our girls. They've looked at the task at hand and they're not backing down from it. They've really stepped up and elevated their level of play."