In the preseason, Hagerstown head softball coach Bruce Charles said that he saw great potential in his team, which had a mix of veteran players and talented freshmen. On Saturday, April 20 in the Wayne County tournament, played at Northeastern, the Tigers lived up to their coach’s preseason expectations. The Tigers run-ruled Northeastern 10-0 in their opening round game, then run-ruled Lincoln 11-1 in the championship game.
Game 1 — Lincoln 11, Centerville 7
Game one was a slugfest between two neighboring rivals. Lincoln stunned Centerville by scoring seven runs in the top of the first inning, then pushed their advantage to 9-1 after three innings before the Bulldogs started cutting into their deficit, but they could never pull even or take the lead.
Lincoln freshman Reilynn Ferguson had a big game for the Eagles, collecting three hits, including two home runs, and driving in four runs. Samantha Bell, Samantha Lilley and Paige Lunsford each had two hits. Lunsford was the winning pitcher; Ava Miller took the loss.
Lilly Day and Madi Yount each collected three hits for Centerville; Harmony Owens collected two hits and drove in three runs.
Lincoln (3-4) 7 1 1 0 0 2 0 11
Centerville (3-3) 1 0 0 1 3 0 2 7
Lincoln hits: Bell (2), Ferguson (3), Lilley (2), Lunsford (2), Addyson Pitcock. Centerville hits: Anna Davis, Day (3), Owens (2), Yount (3).
Game 2 — Hagerstown 10, Northeastern 0
The Lady Knights have been swinging hot bats in the last week. On Saturday, Tiger junior Rylan Young held them to two hits, striking out eight in a complete game shutout performance. Junior catcher Allison Stinson was a powerhouse at the plate for Hagerstown. Stinson — a Defiance College commit — had two hits, including a fourth-inning grand slam, and drove in six runs in the game that was halted after five innings because of the 10-run mercy rule.
Northeastern (4-2) 0 0 0 0 0 0
Hagerstown (5-2) 1 1 2 4 2 10
Northeastern hits: not available. Hagerstown hits: Jerycha Allred, Syd Martindale, Hannah Pyle, Coley Parrish (2), Avery Slaven, Stinson (2), Young (2).
Championship game – Hagerstown 11, Lincoln 1
First-round winners Hagerstown and defending champion Lincoln squared off in the championship game. The Tigers scored four runs in their first at bat and added two more runs in the top of the second inning, taking a quick 6-0 lead and never allowed the Eagles back in the game, eventually winning 11-1 in the game that was halted after five innings because of the 10-run mercy rule.
Rylan Young and Hannah Pyle combined to hold the Eagles to six hits and a single run, with Young getting credit for the win. Emma Jarrett and Coley Parrish each collected two hits for the winner. Elly Cheesman drove in three runs.
Hagerstown (6-2) 4 2 2 3 0 11
Lincoln (3-5) 0 0 1 0 0 1
Hagerstown hits: Jerycha Allred, Cheesman, Jarrett (2), Kevlei Moore, Parrish (2), Hannah Pyle, Allison Stinson (2), Young (2). Lincoln hits: unavailable
A version of this article appeared in the April 24 2024 print edition of the Western Wayne News.