BERLIN- Stephen Decatur’s varsity softball teams amazing run ended last week with a loss in the state 3A region semifinals.
The Seahawks were amazing all year, going 17-2 in the regular season including wins in their last 11 games. The Decatur girls opened their 3A-South regional tournament with a 10-0 win over Arundel in the semifinals, followed by a narrow 3-2 win over Crofton in the region championship.
It was the first state regional championship for the Seahawks since 1991. In the 3-2 win over Crofton in the region title game, host Decatur scored two runs in the second to take an early lead. Crofton tied the game at 2-2 with solo runs in the fourth and fifth innings.
Decatur took the lead again with a home run by Ryleigh Smith in the bottom of the sixth and the Seahawks closed out Crofton in the top of the seventh. Skylar Griffin pitched a complete game in the region championship game while striking out 14 in seven innings.
In the state 3A quarterfinals, the Seahawks easily got by Franklin with a 7-0 win. However, Decatur ran into a juggernaut in the state 3A semifinals, falling to Chopticon, 14-0. The loss did not tarnish a remarkable season for the Seahawks, who finished with an overall 20-3 record.
