Perryville falls in state semifinals

For the second straight season, the Perryville softball team suffered a one-run loss to Mountain Ridge in the state semifinals. The Lady Miners tallied twice in the bottom of the sixth to take the lead and held on for a 4-3 triumph Tuesday, May 21 at Bachman Park in Glen Burnie.

The Panthers (16-5) had the bases loaded with one out in the top of the seventh but could not push across the tying run. Kaitlyn Willis led off with a sharp single to center. Bethany Rinehart was retired on an outstanding play by Mountain Ridge third baseman Amanda Duvall. Duvall made a sprawling grab of a popup a few feet in front of the fence that protects the third base dugout.

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After Willis stole second, Lindsey Poore singled over the head of the shortstop. Thinking the ball may be caught, Willis initially broke back to second but managed to beat the centerfielder's throw to third. Poore alertly scampered to second on the play. But Mountain Ridge pitcher Carlie Lewis wriggled out of the jam by getting Molly Staley on a foul pop to the first baseman and Emily Baker on a grounder to second to the game.

    Mountain Ridge had taken a 1-0 lead in the first on a home run by Kate Llewellyn. Llewellyn sliced a shot down the left field line. The Panthers' Jaclyn Janney made a diving attempt to make the catch but the ball got past her allowing Llewellyn to circle the bases. Perryville countered quickly. Krystle Schweers walked to begin the top of the third. Janney laid down a bunt, but Schweers was thrown out at second. Lydia Hill was hit by a pitch and Willis walked to load the bases. Rinehart hit a grounder to short but Janney was able to beat the throw to the plate.

Poore followed with a two-run single inside the right field line to put the Panthers up 3-1. Perryville had runners on second and third with one out but the next two batters were retired. It stayed that way until the fifth. Perryville left the bases loaded in the top half before Mountain Ridge trimmed the deficit to 3-2. With two out and a runner on first, Jenna Miller singled up the middle and Emma Baker bounced an RBI single through the hole. Perryville's Marissa Phillips made a nice running catch in right-center to end the inning. Mountain Ridge took the lead for good with two runs in the top of the sixth. "It just kind of felt like maybe we let up a little bit," Perryville coach Rusty Moore said. "Kind of started believing it was getting close to the end there. Just a little bit of lack of focus there for a couple plays. That's kind of what happened I believe."

Lewis led off the inning with a pop single over the head of the third baseman and Llewellyn singled up the middle. After fouling off a bunt attempt, Chelsea Muir hit an RBI single to left to tie the game. Miller got new life when Perryville dropped a foul popup. She hit a grounder to short. Rinehart made a diving stop but the first baseman Hill was not able to handle a low throw. The Miners scored the go-ahead run on the play.

A bunt hit loaded the bases with no outs, but Poore escaped further damage by getting the next three hitters, the first two on a soft liner and popup to Rinehart, and the final one on a strikeout. "We just kind of let up a little bit," Moore reiterated. "We've been talking all year long about putting a dagger in someone when we got them down. I really thought we had them down but we kind of let up in that inning a little bit. Little bit of lack of focus there. A couple of bad things happened. Bobble a ball here and they get an extra base. We don't really talk and let people know when they're stealing. That's just the way it goes."

When the Panthers seek their third straight region title next spring, they will return a strong nucleus but must replace Poore, Phillips, Janney, and reserve outfielder Brittany Gibson.