Crack. The bat hits the ball and sophomore Carrine Shemesh sprints towards first base as sophomore Eliana Wolf crosses the plate, scoring the winning run. The bench clears, and Shemesh runs towards home plate to celebrate with the team. She has just walked off the 2024 Potomac Valley Athletic Conference (PVAC) softball championship for the Lions, clinching their undefeated record in a 16-1 win over Sandy Spring Friends School.
“I was mainly focused on running and not getting out,” Shemesh said about the game-winning hit. “Once I got to third base I saw Eliana score, and I felt really proud.”
The Lions took an early lead, scoring 8 runs in the bottom of the first inning and going through the full batting order, following a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the first to get the first three batters out.
Captain and junior Josie Silverberg contributed to the team’s success in her final softball game of high school, with a 2-run double in the bottom of the first inning to take the lead.
“Every single person contributed to that win,” Silverberg said. “It truly felt like a team effort, and I’m glad I was able to be there for it.”
The Lions maintained their lead over the course of the game, holding Sandy Spring to just one run across four innings. Following a leaping catch to end the top of the fourth by sophomore Lilah Waldman, the Lions were able to score six runs in the bottom of the inning, which invoked the mercy rule against Sandy Spring, and led the Lions to win the PVAC softball championship for the second year in a row.
Head coach and English teacher Thomas Worden, who has coached the softball team for the past seven seasons, was very proud of the team’s performance this season, and said he hopes to carry on their success through next year.
“We’ve just been a very dominant softball team in this league,” Worden said. “I hope we can look to repeat this performance next season. This has been a really, really great year.”
The victory for the Lions brings their conference record to 10-0 as they close out their season. Worden noted how well their offense has been playing throughout the season, and he sees it continuing to thrive in the future.
Following the win, the team celebrated and gathered to take pictures along with the championship banner.
“It’s bittersweet,” Silverberg said on finishing her time on the team with the championship. “We really had a great run, and I’m just glad I got to share that championship with the people I did.”
