Softball: Cougars Fall in Region Final

Though the Oakton High softball team entered the seventh with a two-run lead, a Stone Bridge comeback — aided by Cougar errors and a controversial call — in the bottom of the inning for a 5-4 final score crowned the Bulldogs the 2012 Northern Region Champions on Saturday.

"I told the girls, 'I'm hurt, you're hurt, the parents are hurt, but our goal is to win a state championship,'" Coach Ray Gordon said. "It should hurt, and if it doesn't you shouldn't be playing or coaching this game. But it's not the end of the road."

The Cougars got on the scoreboard in the first inning. Emily Corridon led off with a single, Becky Cerva pushed Corridon to second base with a sacrifice bunt, Allison Davis advanced Corridon to third base with a single to right field and Mandy Krage nabbed the RBI with a groundout to third base. 

The Bulldogs went on a two-out rally to grab a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the second inning. But the Cougars reclaimed the lead on a two-run homer from Emily Krisanda after Corridon again started the third inning with a single. 

In the sixth inning, the Cougars stretched their lead on an RBI double from Hayley French to score Krisanda, who had reached on a line drive double to the center field wall. And though the Cougars started a two-out rally of their own in the seventh, it was cut short after the Bulldogs picked off a runner at first base for the third out.

With Allison Davis, the Northern Region Pitcher of the Year, in the circle after holding the Bulldogs to four hits, striking out five batters and walking two, the Cougars looked poised to take home their first Northern Region title since 2001.

"It's the best pitcher we've seen all year, and she kept us in check for a long time," said Billy Rice, the Bulldogs' head coach. "... We started with bunting early to get our timing down. I do have some pretty good hitters, and you get to a point where you just let your hitters hit."

But the bottom of the seventh started with a fielding error to put Emily Kenny at first, then a single to left field from Katie Bellino, who had pinch runner Devyn Hine take her place on the base path, to put the tying run on. A wild pitch put both runners in scoring position, and Niki Prince's RBI groundout pulled the Bulldogs within one of tying the game. 

Then the controversy: Courtney Gibson hit the ball back to the pitcher, and Allison Davis threw to Krage at the plate to put Hine in a rundown. When Krage threw to French at third, French dove and appeared to tag her for the second out, but the home plate umpire called her safe. The Bulldogs tied the game 4-4 with a runner at second, as Gibson took an extra base during the rundown.

"I think [the umpire] missed it. I know she tagged her," Gordon said. "Hayley maintains that she tagged her, and she would tell me if she missed her."

Two batters later, Sydney Broderick hit an RBI single down the third base line for the walk-off winning hit to give the Bulldogs their first region title since 2006.

"We're disappointed, but on Monday we'll get back to work for practice to get to the state championship. My kids are tough and they've battled all season. We'll be ready Tuesday."

With their Northern Region Championship appearance, the Cougars have earned a berth in the AAA Virginia High School League tournament. They will face Cosby High School in Midlothian at 7 p.m. Tuesday for the first round. The semifinals and finals will be hosted at Westfield High on Friday and Saturday.