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JM State Runner-Up To Hurricane

Monarchs finish season 31-3

Photo by Jordan Holland John Marshall’s Kameryn Skrzyneki gets back to first base as Hurricane’s Taylor McCray (10) receives a throw during Thursday’s Class AAA state tournament game at Jackson Park in Vienna.

VIENNA — John Marshall coach Ed West shook his head and wondered aloud. How many championships would his outgoing senior class have if it didn’t compete during the Hurricane dynasty?

“Probably at least a couple,” West mused.

Alas, John Marshall (31-3) has to settle for second place for the second straight season. Harlie Vanatter was tough again in the circle while Lindsey Phares (two-run shot) and Caiti Mathes (grand slam) each belted homers as the Redskins (25-3) beat the Monarchs, 8-0, in five innings Thursday at Jackson Memorial Park to claim their fourth consecutive West Virginia Class AAA championship and their fifth in six seasons.

“Last year coming down here they were better than I expected and this year they are what I expected,” West said of the Redskins. “They’re solid on defense, their pitching is pretty good and they hit the crap out of the ball.

“(Wednesday) night we hung with them and had a couple chances, but I knew whoever won that game was probably going to win the state championship.”

And that is exactly the way it played out.

JM’s Lauren Garcia and Vanatter traded zeroes the first two innings, but the Redskins broke through for four runs in the bottom of the third that ended the game for all intents and purposes.

Speedster Kiersten Landers, who gave JM fits all tournament, hit a rocket of a liner into the right-field corner for a leadoff triple. Jayme Bailey safely executed a suicide squeeze bunt to make it 1-0.

Taylor McCray doubled home Bailey and one out later Phares launched the first pitch she saw from Garcia over the wall in left-center field for a 4-0 advantage.

“I definitely saw that,” Hurricane coach Meghan Stevens said of a possible JM letdown following that eruption. “When we get on that roll it’s contagious and my girls hit the ball 1-through-9.

“The fans get into it, the dugout gets into it and it kind of feels unstoppable at that point.”

Vanatter wasn’t as dominant as when she struck out 12 the night before in a 2-0 victory against the Monarchs, but was still nearly unhittable. Vanatter fanned five and allowed three hits — all singles.

“Harlie just has an arsenal of pitches, really,” Stevens said. “She is so good with her control and she was really good against John Marshall at keeping (the ball) low and away.

“Then when they were kind of crowding her on the plate she was able to pound them on the inside.”

Carli Lightner started the fourth with a single back through the box as John Marshall attempted to respond. One out later, Mayle also came through with a hit.

However Lightner was erased at third on a fielder’s choice and Vanatter got Kameryn Skrzyneki to pop out to short to end the threat.

The wheels came off in the bottom of the inning as the Redskins touched Lightner, who entered in relief, for four more runs to put the mercy rule in play.

Lauren Parsons was hit by a pitch and Landers reached on an error. Bailey walked on a 3-2 count and Mathes ripped a ball over the fence and onto the hillside in left field for a grand slam and an 8-0 bulge. It was her second homer in two days against the Monarchs.

“They’re very sound and they’re not going to make very many mistakes,” West said. “You’ve got to beat them because they are not going to beat themselves.

“They’ve got a couple losses this year and I would be interested to see how those occurred.

“At 2-0 I think we were still in the game, but when it got to 4-0 it started looking bleak.”

With a chance to clinch yet another title, Vanatter set the Monarchs down in order in the fifth on five pitches to set off what was really a rather subdued celebration.

“The key is that we embrace the pressure and we still stay loose,” Stevens said. “We don’t try to be a team that we’re not and we have a good time. That’s really important.

“I think it’s a good balance. We accept the pressure. We know who we are and know that we have a lot to live up to.”

Lydia Knutsen, Garcia and Lightner were all selected to the All-Tournament team. They were joined by Hurricane’s Landers, Mathes, Vanatter, Phares and Bailey, along with George Washington’s Brianna McCown and Washington’s McKenzie Meyers. The Monarchs also took home the School Sportsmanship Award.

John Marshall 4, George Washington 0

In Thursday’s loser’s bracket final, the Monarchs took advantage of some miscues to advance to the title round.

Locked in a 0-0 game through three, JM scored twice in the fourth inning. Garcia walked with the bases loaded to score the first one and Abby Blake had a RBI single.

In the fifth, the Monarchs made it 4-0 when the Patriots elected to try to get an out at the plate but were late with the throw, combined with a RBI single by Maddy Mayle.

Garcia whiffed eight and walked two to earn a win. Katy Darnell singled twice for GW.

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