Softball: Cougars Suffer Loss in District Championship

After nearly two days since the first pitch, the Concorde District Softball Championship resumed with the Chantilly Chargers taking their first district title since 1999 with a 2-0 win over the Oakton Cougars.

, but a downpour postponed the game after two scoreless innings were played. On Tuesday both starting pitchers, Oakton's Allison Davis and Chantilly's Alex Sallberg, had given up one hit — and each knocked the only single for their respective teams. Davis also pitched one strikeout before the game was called.

The game picked up right where it left off, with both pitchers suffocating any offensive threat in the third and fourth innings. Oakton's Emily Corridon had the lone hit through both innings.

But the Chargers finally broke through the stalemate in the bottom of the fifth scoring the only two runs of the game. The Cougars threatened twice — putting a runner at second base in the fifth and runners at second and third in the sixth, but fell short of capitalizing.

"We didn't hit. I mean, we hit the ball hard but it didn't work out. Mandy [Krage] lined out with two on. It was a great swing, but it went right to the shortstop," Coach Ray Gordon said. "They had balls fall in, and we didn't."

The rest of the game remained scoreless, with Sallberg pitching a complete game shutout to strike out four batters and give up four hits. Sallberg was named the Most Valuable Player on the All-Tournament team. 

Third baseman Hayley French and center fielder Emily Corridon represented the Cougars on the All-Tournament team.

"Alex Sallberg is a great pitcher," Gordon said. "We had solid at-bats with her, but it didn't work out our way."

The Chargers and Cougars have faced off twice this season, with the Cougars coming out on top both times with shutout wins. In the championship game, Davis — who tops the Concorde District in strikeouts by 74 — pitched six strikeouts and gave up five hits in her complete game effort.

Both the Cougars and Chargers will continue to the Northern Region Tournament starting today. The Cougars will host McLean, who has played in the state championship game for the past four years, at 7 p.m. 

"I think both of us, Chantilly and us, have been dealt kind of a rough deal with this rain because we have to play right away tomorrow," Gordon said. "We're matched up with the Liberty District this year, and they're probably the second best district in the state. But I think we can turn things around and do well."