Winning a softball state title in the D.C. area is never easy. It’s rare to see a program coast to a state crown without squeaking past an opponent in crunchtime of a crucial playoff game.
Woodgrove and Riverside, both Virginia state title winners, used walk-off home runs in their state semifinals. A deftly placed bunt in the fifth inning of the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association championship gave Bishop O’Connell a 1-0 win over Potomac School. Sherwood sophomore Reagan Corb hit a walk-off shot in extra innings for the Maryland Class 3A title, and Class 4A champ Leonardtown needed a game-tying three-run homer in the seventh inning of its state semifinal to stay alive.
With the dust settled, undefeated Woodgrove and Bishop O’Connell finished as the clear top two teams in the area. Pitchers Abbey Lane and Bri Lencz, both bound for George Mason, each finished a dominant season and defeated multiple teams featured in The Washington Post’s final rankings of the year.