Back on top: Sherando captures regular season title

By Greg Brill -- sports@nvdaily.com

STEPHENS CITY -- Nevermind that Brentsville and Millbrook have been the queens of Northwestern District softball circles the last few years.

Heading into a new season, all that didn't seem to matter to Sherando senior catcher Brittany Larrick and her close-knit teammates. The goal for the Warriors was to win a first-ever district title for the program, and from the beginning of April, no one in the Northwestern has been better.

Taking a one-game lead into its regular-season finale Tuesday against Central, Sherando put up runs early and let senior ace Nicole Musser take care of the rest. The Warriors knocked off the Falcons, 5-1, at Sherando Park to clinch the district title, home-field advantage throughout the district tournament, and an automatic berth to the Region II playoffs.

"You can see it in the dugout this year -- everyone is, like, one giant team," Musser said. "We're all close, just like sisters."

The climb from middle of the pack to a district championship has been in the works ever since Musser began her freshman season with the varsity and Larrick joined her from the junior varsity with a mid-season call-up. The battery mates have formed a bond, like many in the six-member senior group, to make winning the district a reality.

Sherando (14-5, 14-2) will head into the district playoffs at its best, having won 10 straight in the Northwestern since a 9-0 loss March 30 at Brentsville.

"It's been an amazing season and it's great to be district champions," said Larrick, who again hit in the clutch with triples in each of her first two at-bats. "We set goals every year at the beginning of the season and this was one of our goals. We met it."

Now the coach of the Warriors, Erin Manuel is an alum that played for the school and knows all about the success that has been in place in the past. Sherando won a Region II title in its second season in 1995, but it had entered that tournament as a district runner-up.

Seeing this season's group come together at the right time has pleased Manuel.

"I think they have bonded really well together," Manuel said. "But I think the major thing is the leadership we have gotten from our seniors. We have six seniors and all of them had that goal to get in regionals. They've really worked hard for it."

After Musser gave up a lone single in the first inning, the Warriors were ready to make something happen in their home half against suddenly-slumping Central (12-7, 10-6). Larrick sent a deep fly to center that fell just out of the reach of Brittney Mumaw for a leadoff triple. Amanda Lutz dropped a first-pitch bunt up the first-base line, and Taylor Cooper's throw to third attempting to get a hung-up Larrick got through for an error, allowing Larrick to score the game's first run.

Central continued to have trouble in the field, as Kourtney Paige also reached on her bunt and hustled into second without the Falcons recording an out. Pitching for the third time in four days, Brea Hinegardner allowed no more damage by retiring the next three batters.

Hinegardner made it five straight in getting two quick outs to begin the second, but Sherando came alive again. Jessie Seymour beat out her tap to third for a hit and Larrick got her second triple for an RBI. Lutz singled to left to drive in Larrick and Paige also singled to the same spot, with Lutz coming around to score when Paige's hit was misplayed.

Cleanup hitter Amanda Lizama got the fifth straight hit off Hinegardner, driving a single to right to plate Paige to cap the four-run inning for a 5-0 lead.

"I'm big on once you get a couple runs, keep on going," Manuel said.

Sherando did not score after the second, but it did not have to. Five runs was more than enough support for Musser (13-3) to deal with. Its slow start in the field carried over to a quiet day at the plate for Central, which managed just an unearned run and four hits against Musser.

Much of the pregame chat that Musser shared with Larrick was how to pitch Hinegardner and catcher Ashley Ebersole, who have combined for 11 homers this season. Musser kept both in the park, holding Hinegardner to a single in three at-bats and Ebersole (two strikeouts) hitless in three trips.

"They have Brea and Ashley over there and we were trying to keep it off the plate," Larrick said. "Just move the ball on them a lot, because they're their two strongest hitters."

Finding her spots well most of the way, Musser collected eight strikeouts, walked just one, and made 66 of 90 pitches for strikes.

For Hinegardner, the loss proved to be another tough one. The junior had been beaten in the bottom of the seventh by both Skyline (on Saturday) and Kettle Run (Monday) in her previous two starts and pitched well enough to win again Tuesday, giving up just three earned runs and striking out 10.

Playing with the front-runners just a month ago, Central enters the postseason with a three-game losing skid and has dropped four of five overall.

"We need to pick up where we left off in the middle of the season and show everybody what really made us a good team," Central coach Jill Yew said. "We really haven't played well the last three games. I hope to some way, shape, or form revitalize them for Friday."

The quarterfinals begin that day, and the Warriors will face either Millbrook or James Wood. Central dropped to the No. 4 seed with the Sherando loss and will now host Handley. A win by both Sherando and Central would set up a semifinal matchup in Stephens City next week.