Marriotts Ridge softball holds off Mt. Hebron to win regional championship, 5-4
Marriotts Ridge softball coach Renard Parson didn’t shy away from the fact that he was nervous in the top of the seventh inning Thursday with his team leading by a run.
“I was sweating a lot,” Parson said. “It was nice to see that they had the tying and winning runs on base, but we didn’t collapse. If this had been earlier in the year, then we probably lose this game.”
Mustangs pitcher Olivia Ober got Mt. Hebron’s Alyssa Perez to ground out to end the game and give host Marriotts Ridge its first regional championship with a 5-4 win over its county rival.
The Mustangs (15-5) advance to the state quarterfinals, where they’ll host Linganore at a date and time to be announced.
Mt. Hebron came out as the aggressor early. The Vikings (12-6) got a single from Abby Magdar and walks by Kaelyn Cisna and Katherine Williams to load the bases. Mackenzie Brooks emptied them with a double to give Mt. Hebron a 3-0 lead after one inning.
Both pitchers, Magdar and the Mustangs’ Sienna Williams, began to settle in after that. Magdar especially did a good job of keeping the Mustangs off-balance. That all changed in the bottom of the third.
Biff Lorah, Giuliana Marsili and Ava Hammer all singled to load the bases. Jasmine Smith also singled in the next at-bat, scoring Lorah.
After a strikeout by Magdar, Olivia Ober grounded into a fielder’s choice but managed to score Marsili to cut the deficit to 3-2. The next batter, Brynne Mellady, tripled to right field, scoring both Hammer and Smith to give Marriotts Ridge a 4-3 lead.
“I was just really trying to focus in,” Mellady said. “I knew there were two outs, and I knew I couldn’t get distracted by the runners. I just drove it as far as I could.”
Parsons chose to switch pitchers in the top of the fourth, bringing Ober in for relief. She pitched a clean fourth and fifth and only gave up a single in the sixth.
Marriotts Ridge extended its lead to 5-3 in the bottom of the sixth. Williams singled with two outs and Gianna Peluso tripled to score her to give the Mustangs a two-run lead and a little breathing room. Turns out they would need it.
Ober quickly got two outs to start the top of the inning, but then the Vikings started hitting. First, Williams singled. She scored in the following at-bat on a double by Brooks. Ober then walked Danielle Green to put runners on first and second before finally getting Perez to ground out and end the game.
“I knew we could pull it together in the last half of the last inning,” Peluso said. “Mt. Hebron is an excellent team and Abby Madgar is a great pitcher, but I knew if we had the right mentality, we could shut it down. With our team spirit, we can do anything.”
The loss was certainly a disappointment for the Vikings, who split the two games with Marriotts Ridge in the regular season.
“It’s a bitter pill to lose, but they won it in one inning. We never did catch up. I couldn’t be prouder of the girls,” Vikings coach Mark Graydon said. “We’re a young team — we have one graduating senior — so we have almost everybody back. I can’t wait to see us next year.”
Mt. Hebron — 300 000 1 — 4 7 0
Marriotts Ridge — 004 001 X — 5 7 2
WP: Williams; LP: Magdar
3B: MR — Peluso; Mellady. 2B: MH — Brooks, Green.