Softball: Oakton Heads to Region Semifinals After Upsetting West Potomac 5-3 in the Second Round

In a back-and-forth battle between West Potomac and Oakton, the Cougars came out on top after a sixth inning rally, winning 5-3 in the second round of the Northern Region softball tournament at Falls Church High School on Monday.

The Cougars scored first, going up 2-0 in the second inning. With two outs and runners on first and second — after Becky Cerva was hit by a pitch and Kelsea Sinnett reached on a fielding error — a throwing error after Abby Mills grounded out allowed Cerva to head home to score the first run of the game. Then Angie Noviello hit an RBI single to right field to score Sinnett.

But the Wolverines answered right back in the bottom of the second with an RBI line drive single from Sammy Clifford with one out in the inning. Kaitlyn Kincannon batted in a run on a fielder's choice ground ball to second base to tie the game 2-2. 

The Wolverines took the lead in the third inning. Danielle McHugh started things off with a ground ball single to left field, which was followed by a bunt single to the pitcher from Sara Link. The Wolverines' momentum slowed with a strikeout, but Jasmine Picini battled at the plate to hit one pitch in the air to right field, where it was bobbled, allowing all runners to advance and the go-ahead run to score.

But that would be the Wolverines' last run. The Cougars tied in the fifth inning after Allison Davis hit a two out line drive single to center field. Then in the sixth inning, with runners on second and third, Abby Mills hit a groundout to the right side of the field, which scored Jory Yates for what would be the game-winning run. Angie Noviello followed Mills with an RBI single to give the Cougars an insurance run heading into the bottom of the seventh.

"I sat the bench a lot in the beginning of the year, but I've always been supportive of my team. I just want everyone to feel like they can put up their best effort to help us win and so I try to do that everytime I go up to bat," Noviello said. "I think we have what it takes and if we all do our part we can keep winning."

The Wolverines' Morgan Maniglia pitched four strikeouts in seven innings and three walks — all to center fielder Emily Corridon — and gave up three earned runs on seven hits.

Davis pitched for the Cougars, notching eight strikeouts and two walks — both to Morgan Maniglia — and giving up two earned runs on seven hits.

Ray Gordon, Oakton's head coach, was pleased with Davis' performance, especially considering she felt under the weather today.

"She really battled. ... They're a good team, but she battled. I think she got a little stronger at the end when she started to feel a little better," he said.

In fact, the whole team battled, he said, and has been all season. The young team has been up and down all season — mostly down at the end of the regular season with a six-game losing streak — because of injuries and sickness, and they have had to mature to stay competitive within a tough district and region.

"Today's one of those examples of a great team win," Gordon said. "Our eight and nine [Mills and Noviello] hitters produced, and our eight and nine hitters are as good as anybody else's four, five or six. They just need to believe that. ... Now they're starting to believe in themselves."