Ellicott City, MD - An amazing performance on the mound from sophomore
Sophia Steele gave the Dragons a second chance on Friday afternoon, as they forced a pivotal game three against the rival CCBC Catonsville Cardinals.
The first round of the NJCAA Region 20 Division II playoffs saw the Dragons and Cardinals meet for the third consecutive year. Catonsville won game one 10-7 after a seventh-inning home run broke a 7-7 tie, but the Dragons stormed back to win game two to force the tie breaker tomorrow evening.
The games marked the first home playoff games in program history for the Dragons and their second playoff victory in program history in game two.
Game One: Cardinals 10, Dragons 7
Game one got off to a rough start, as the Cardinals jumped to a 3-0 lead behind a two RBI double from Maggie Rowland and an RBI single from Ava Blum. Howard quickly responded, as
Madison Hamolia launched a deep fly ball over the left field fence to score three runs in the bottom of the first. The home run was the first at home all season for Hamolia.
Catonsville retook the lead in the second when Jules LeProhon scored on a wild pitch, but
Marissa Webb quickly shut down the Cardinals bats. A
Sophia Steele single to right field brought home two runs and gave the Dragons a 5-4 lead after the second.
After an Ava Blum sacrifice fly brought home another run to make it 5-5, the game became a pitcher's duel between Webb and Catonsville's Emily Fagan. The Cardinals broke the tie in the top of the fifth on a bizarre play. Ava Blum hit a blooper that ricocheted off
Marissa Webb's glove and into the glove on
Kaylee Brogan, who made the throw to first. In the chaos, Aliceanna Weibley scored to make it 6-5 Cardinals.
The Dragons fought back into the contest in the bottom of the inning, scoring off RBI singles from
Jensyn Koonce and
Kaylee Brogan. Now leading 7-6, the Dragons looked to shut down the Cardinals over the final two innings. But a pair of home runs spoiled the party. Angela Delaney homered to left center to tie the game in the sixth, and LeProhon hit a three-run home run in the top of the seventh to give Catonsville a 10-7 lead. Howard got two runners aboard in the bottom of the inning, but were unable to bring them home.
Game Two: Dragons 6, Cardinals 4
Game two belonged to
Sophia Steele, who shut down the Cardinals all game long. Steele put together one of her best performances of her career, pitching a complete game with four strikeouts. Steele allowed just one run through the first five innings, coming in the second when Aliceanna Weibley scored on a bases-loaded walk.
The Dragons offense got to work in the third, as
Gianna Peluso launched a monster home run over the left center fence. Tied at 1-1 with the Cardinals, the Dragons unloaded in the fourth with three more runs.
Madison Falby smacked an RBI single to score Steele, Peluso hit a sacrifice line out to bring home
Victoria Wright, and
Kaylee Brogan stole home to make it 4-1 Dragons.
Howard continued adding on in the fifth, with
Taylor Pence knocking in an RBI single and
Jensyn Koonce hitting her second RBI single of the day. Howard's 6-1 lead was tested in the top of the seventh, as the Cardinals woke up and scored three unanswered runs to make it 6-4. But
Marissa Webb snagged a tricky fly ball with two outs to ice the contest and force a crucial game three.
Up Next: The tie-breaking game three of the series will take place tomorrow, May 2, at 7:30 PM at Kiwanis Wallas Park.
