McLean Softball Advances To Regional Finals

McLean pitcher Jaime Bell will remember Monday night’s Virginia AAA Northern Region semifinal for a long time to come.  

With only one team standing between the defending state champion Highlanders and a spot in Friday regional finals, Bell delivered perhaps the most impressive game of her career.

Bell pitched a perfect game, recording six strikeouts in the process, to lead  McLean over Patriot District champion South County 4-0.

Both teams played each other extremely close from the game game's opening pitch. No runs were scored in the game’s first five innings from either team. Growing frustrated at the lack of offenisve production,the Highlanders entered the sixth inning hungry for a hit. Senior Jessie Straub delivered just the strike the team was looking for.

“I just knew that I had a job to get done. That run needed to get scored,” said Straub.

With junior Tina Anwyll on second base, Straub connected on a hit, sending the ball to short centerfield. As the ball flew off of Straub’s bat, Anwyll sped to home plate, scoring the game’s first run and sending the dugout and crowd into a frenzy. 

“It should have happened earlier in the game,” Straub said.

From there, McLean’s bats heated up, driving in three additional sixth-inning runs. Jessie Straub, Allison Wilhelm, and Nikki Slade all scored runs in the team’s sixth-inning rally.

McLean head coach Maurice Tawil remained patient during his team's scoring drought, as he knew that they would soon find their groove.

“I believed that all we needed to do was to just keep doing what we were doing. I knew that it was just a matter of time until we started hitting, and we did. We also ran the bases extremely well,” said Tawil.

The four six-inning runs scored by McLean were all that was needed for run support thanks to Bell’s dominant evening on the mound. With one more chance for South County at bat, Bell dug in, retiring all three South County batters she faced, ending the game on a flyout to second base.

“Jaime pitched a perfect game and a no-hitter, so I didn’t imagine that she could lose. We wanted to win it for her and we did in the bottom of the sixth,” Tawil said.

With the victory, McLean will face Westfield in the Virginia AAA Northern Region finals, Friday at Robinson High School. Monday’s win also secures a spot for the Highlanders in the state tournament which begins next week.

“It’s going to be a great game. We scrimmaged them at the beginning of the season and lost to them in a tournament game. I think that this is the game that everyone wants to see,” remarked Tawil about Friday's final against Westfield.