Tri-Eastern Conference rivals Hagerstown and Northeastern met in the semifinal round of the Centerville 2A No. 44 softball sectional on Tuesday, May 27, to play for the right to advance to the sectional championship.
For Northeastern, it was an opportunity lost. For Hagerstown, it was deja vu.
Hard-throwing Lady Knight sophomore Mackenzie Johnson and veteran Lady Tiger pitcher Rylan Young were nearly unhittable in the first three innings. Allison Stinson had a one-out single in the bottom of the first inning, and Elly Cheeseman followed with a double before Johnson struck out the next two batters to end the threat. The only other base runner in the first three innings was Northeastern catcher Karri Gammon, who drew a leadoff walk to open the top of the second inning.
Macey Oler beat out an infield hit to lead off the top of the fourth inning before Young stuck out the next two batters. Johnson helped her own cause when she doubled to drive in Oler. Isabella Peed followed with a single to drive Johnson home, and Zella Cook reached on a two-base error by Hagerstown that allowed Peed to score, giving the Knights a 3-0 lead.
In their opening-round win over Centerville, the Tigers trailed entering the bottom of the fourth inning before Young delivered a two-out three-run double to give the Tigers the lead for good. Their response in this game was eerily similar. Cheeseman singled up the middle and advanced to second on a throwing error. Johnson struck out the next batter before issuing a walk to Cameron Robertson. Then Johnson struck out the next batter for the second out. Aaliya Anderson beat out an infield hit to load the bases for Young. Young cleared the bases with a double to tie the score. Emma Jarrett followed with a two-run home run. Mackenzee Johnson reached on an infield single, stole second and scored on a single from Stinson.
The Knights never recovered. The Tigers added a single run in the fifth on a Cheeseman homer and scored three more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to make the final score 10-3.
Cheeseman collected four hits in the game, Anderson had three hits, and Jarrett, Stinson and Robertson each had two hits for Hagerstown. Young struck out 11 batters to go over the 500-strikeout plateau for her career.
Northeastern head coach Tara Williams said her kids lost their focus. “We were so excited when we scored three runs to take the lead; we just got too excited,” Williams said. “Hagerstown is a good-hitting team and they did not get rattled. By the third time through the lineup seeing our pitcher they caught up to her. We only lose one senior, Alexis Russell. We will miss her, but we have everyone else back for next season.”
Hagerstown head coach Bruce Charles said he was not surprised to see Young deliver when the team needed her. “In my eyes, Rylan Young is a superstar,” Charles said. “She does it on both sides of the ball. She has carried us all year long. We will not be able to get off to a slow start against Shenandoah. They are too good.”
Eighth-ranked Hagerstown will face 13th-ranked Shenandoah in the championship game on Thursday, May 29. The Lady Raiders defeated Union County 13-1 in the second semifinal game to punch their ticket to the title game.
Northeastern (10-8) 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 3
Hagerstown (19-2) 0 0 0 6 1 3 x 10
Northeastern hits: Johnson, Oler, Peed — Hagerstown hits: Anderson (3), Cheeseman (4), Layla Cool, Jarrett (2), Johnson, Robertson (2) Stinson (2), Young
A version of this article appeared in the June 4 2025 print edition of the Western Wayne News.