In WCAC, Parity Is the New Name of Game

For more than a decade, the last place to look for drama in area softball has been the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference. O'Connell has dominated its league unlike few programs in any sport in the Washington region, winning five straight titles and 12 overall since the WCAC began playing softball in 1994. The Knights had a 121-game conference winning streak until the middle of last season.

This year, though, might be a little different. It's not just because O'Connell lost its first league game of the season Wednesday, 2-1, to Elizabeth Seton, but also because there seems to be a little more parity atop the conference this season.

Seton (16-6) returned from the Grand Strand Softball Classic in South Carolina over spring break and defeated St. Mary's Ryken, 1-0, to avenge an early season loss and start the Roadrunners on a six-game winning streak. Ryken, meantime, lost to O'Connell, but will get another chance Tuesday, two days before the playoffs begin. Good Counsel, despite losing twice to both O'Connell and Ryken, beat Seton, 4-2, on April 9.

"The thing with O'Connell is, they've been there so many times, they know what to expect," said Seton Coach Rita Horning, whose team also beat O'Connell last season. "They have a team that expects to be there and expects to win. If you can believe you can win, that's half the battle against them."

Behind senior pitcher Sarah Falcone, the Roadrunners believe they can win anytime. She allowed O'Connell an unearned run in the bottom of the first inning, and then shut down the Knights. Junior catcher Sam Colein drove in Jonnie Allison Abell with a single in the top of the fourth to tie the game. Colein led off the seventh with a single, but courtesy runner Kerri Moore could not advance. With two outs, Moore tried to steal, as Blaire Johnson singled to right. The throw to third base went long and allowed Moore to score the winning run.

Fitzgerald Excels

Logically, Huntingtown leadoff hitter Chloe Fitzgerald shouldn't have scored in the first inning against Patuxent on Monday. She reached base on a walk. Then, prompted by the slightest hesitation from the defense, she stole second. When the next batter hit a grounder, she raced to third before her foes could field the ball, forcing them to settle for an out at first. Fitzgerald trotted home on a single to left, scoring the first of her three runs in the eighth-ranked Hurricanes' 11-7 win over Patuxent.

"She does everything as though she's been doing it for 10 years," Huntingtown Coach Mike Johnson said. "I've never had a true slapper . . . with her speed and what she's able to do in different situations."

One of five freshmen on the Hurricanes (11-0), Fitzgerald owns a .568 batting average, second-best on the team, and leads Huntingtown in hits (25) and runs (21).

"We have really good leaders and they've made me feel really comfortable on this team," Fitzgerald said of her success. "I just try to stay calm and take whatever the defense gives me." . . .

For the third year in a row, Chesapeake will enter next Wednesday's Anne Arundel County championship against Broadneck as the apparent underdog, which is okay with the Cougars. In each of the past two years, they lost that game only to rebound to win the Maryland 4A title.

Since losing to Broadneck, 3-0, on April 9, Chesapeake has won seven straight. Moreover, the Cougars have shown an ability to come from behind several times during this stretch, something they have not had to do frequently over the past few seasons.

While Chesapeake (15-2) can't spot Broadneck (14-0) much of a lead (Ashley Thomas's three-run homer in the first inning provided all the scoring in the Bruins' victory earlier this season), the Cougars took heart from recent comeback victories over Old Mill and Northeast.

"More and more names are starting to come through for us," Chesapeake Coach Don Ellenberger said. "We believe we have as good a shot as anyone."