It was an epic battle between Hagerstown and Shenandoah for the 2A softball sectional title in a game played at Centerville on Thursday, May 29. Playing before an overflow crowd, eighth-ranked Hagerstown, the Tri-Eastern Conference champions, squared off against 13th-ranked Shenandoah, the Mid-Eastern Conference champions. After six complete innings, the teams were still deadlocked in a 0-0 tie.
Shenandoah pitcher Olivia Watson did not allow a base hit through four innings. Aaliya Anderson collected the first Tiger hit with a fifth-inning single and Allison Stinson singled in the sixth inning, but both were stranded. Tiger pitcher Rylan Young only allowed five hits through five innings.
With their backs against the wall and the game on the line, the Tigers began to solve Watson in the top of the seventh inning. Layla Cool opened the inning with a single to right field. Coley Parrish followed with a perfectly executed bunt single that gave the Tigers runners at first and second with no outs. Young stepped to the plate. After bringing the Tigers back from deficits against Centerville and Northeastern in two earlier sectional games, Young hit the third pitch she saw over the left field fence to give the Tigers a 3-0 lead they would never surrender. Emma Jarrett followed with a single, Mackenzee Johnson was hit by a pitch and Stinson was walked intentionally to load the bases, but they were all stranded when Watson struck out the next batter she faced to end the threat.
Young set the Raiders down 1, 2, 3 in the bottom of the seventh inning and the celebration began. She scattered five hits and struck out 12 to pick up the win. Watson surrendered six hits and struck out 10 in a losing effort.
Tiger head coach Bruce Charles said his team refused to lose. “This team is special and Rylan Young is a superstar,” Charles said. “She carried us in all three games this week. We knew coming in that Shenandoah was really good, and that Watson is a great pitcher. She is as good as it gets. It took us six innings to get to her. When Rylan came up with runners in front of her in the seventh inning, I felt good. She has been money in the bank with the game on the line all year.”
Rylan Young said that the win was a culmination of the Tigers’ hard work. “Our defense was great tonight and my teammates got on base ahead of me to give me a chance to win the game,” Young said. “We have all worked hard to get to this point and it is a thrill to be a sectional champion.”
Tiger senior catcher Allison Stinson said the team has confidence in each other. “We have a lot of young players in our lineup, but they can all play,” Stinson said. “Any of them can help us win. Winning this is a dream come true for all of us.”
The sectional championship was the first in Hagerstown softball history. The Tigers will meet another streak of Tigers in the regional round when they play 22-2 Triton Central on Tuesday, June 3. The game will be played at Triton Central with the first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m.
Hagerstown (20-2) 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3
Shenandoah (17-4) 0. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Hagerstown hits: Anderson, Cool, Jarrett, Parrish, Stinson, Young — Shenandoah hits: Kaelyn Caster, Tarran Mills (2), Aleyna Sharritts (2)
A version of this article appeared in the June 4 2025 print edition of the Western Wayne News.