Cougar JV Softball Defeats North County For County Championship

Posted

Chesapeake’s JV softball team has its place in history: the Cougars are Anne Arundel County’s first-ever JV softball championship team.

Chesapeake avenged one of its only defeats of the season by beating North County 8-4 at Bachman Park on May 7 to win the inaugural Anne Arundel County JV softball championship game and finish the season with an outstanding 15-2 overall record.

Marissa Carey pitched a complete game to earn the victory for Chesapeake, which had lost to the Knights 11-10 in 11 innings just days prior to the county-title game but came back win the county crown at Bachman.

Sydney Reeves was 3 for 3 with a walk and two runs scored, while Allie Kunes was 3 for 3 with a double, a walk and two RBIs in the win as Chesapeake got contributions from throughout the lineup both offensively and defensively. Savannah Mulvey had three singles, two RBIs and a run, while Abbie Potter had a two-RBI single. Skylar Deters doubled and scored, Kaitlyn Young singled and scored, and Carey walked and scored in the win. Kendall Bobick caught for Carey and played excellent defense along with outfielders Lexi Meyers, Young and Deters, while Kunes led a strong team defensive effort from shortstop.

Head coach Brittany Owen said everyone on the team — the starters as well as reserves Ashton Stern, Valerie Moore, Madisyn Mellon, Kylee Boetker, Jenna Jankiewicz, Jayden Buchanan, Kaylee Kelly and Sam Weldon — played a role in the team’s highly successful season that culminated with a championship.

“I’m proud of all of them, even the ones who were on the bench, because it takes the whole team to win,” said Owen, who coached the team with Tony DeAngelis. “It’s a very important game for them. They worked hard since March 1 for this, so they deserved it. I’m just the coach, but they’re the ones who had to work hard. I’m proud in every way. They didn’t give up, they came back and fought hard. If something went wrong, they shook it off and came back to play. The bats woke up, and they came together as a team. I always say, teamwork makes the dream work. All the small things will make the team successful, and that’s what they did today.”

Browse and purchase high-resolution prints and downloads of photos in this gallery. Photos by Colin Murphy

Reeves, a freshman, said the team shook off a pair of late-season losses to Glen Burnie and North County to come back and show fortitude by winning the title.

“We were doing good at the beginning, 15-0, we had a bad game and were bummed and everything, but we pulled ourselves back together. We lost against North County the first time, but I think it was all part of our master plan, because we came back and won, and I am so proud of us,” said Reeves.

Kunes, also a freshman, said it was the perfect finish to her first year playing high school ball.

“I’m just so happy we played together as a team,” said Kunes. “We were so good together, and we worked great together. It was a great first year of high school.”

Carey said the standout characteristic of the Cougars was their resilience in brushing off adversity.

“It feels really good,” said Carey. “Everyone was making plays. It was a really good game even though we struggled a lil’ bit, but we brought it back together as a team, and that’s what we do best. I’m really proud of everyone. It feels great because I’m a sophomore, and this is my last year on JV, so winning counties feels great.”

Browse and purchase high-resolution prints and downloads of photos in this gallery. Photos by Colin Murphy

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here