Britton's no-hitter, Hook, Strother homers return Allegany to state title game

May 26—GLEN BURNIE, Md. — The Allegany softball machine churned out another victory on Wednesday.

So far this season, the names on the opponents' jerseys are about all that's changed from game to game. Whether the Campers are playing at LaVale Lions Field or 142 miles away at the Bachman Sports Complex in the state semifinals, the result has been the same.

South Carroll was just the latest victim.

Abi Britton tossed a 14-strikeout no-hitter, Ava Strother and Kylie Hook launched home runs and the Campers cruised past the Cavaliers, 9-0.

The win pits Allegany (17-0) in a Class 1A state title game rematch with Patterson Mill (21-0), winners of 44 consecutive games, on Friday at 5:30 p.m. at the University of Maryland.

"That might be the best game we've played all year," Allegany head coach Dave Winner said. "Abi pitched a great game, we hit early and got up. Even later on when we didn't score, we were putting runners on base every inning.

"If we can get five or six runs in the first two innings, that really puts a lot of pressure on the other team."

South Carroll (10-11) entered the contest fresh off a 2-0 upset of St. Michaels, in which right-hander Madison Karns threw a two-hit shutout to grab the Cavaliers their eighth win in 10 games.

But none of that mattered when Allegany took a 7-0 lead after just six outs, and with Britton, who lowered her earned-run average to 0.15 with another scintillating performance, on the rubber, that was all she wrote.

"We let them get up seven runs in the first two innings, and we didn't let them score much after that," South Carroll head coach Kayla Holston said. "I wish we got our bats going, more people on the bases and more chances to score, but it just didn't happen."

Britton kicked off the scoring in the first with an RBI two-bagger down the left-field line, and Skyler Porter fisted an inside offering to center to bring another Camper home with two outs.

Yet, the biggest knock of the frame came off the bat of Strother, who cranked a two-run bomb over the left-center fence to get Allegany off and running.

"I was thinking that I just needed to make good contact with the ball," the freshman said of her mentality before the big fly. "I was really hoping for a base hit, and it ended up better than I expected."

Britton plunked the first batter of the second inning, but the sophomore fanned three straight South Carroll hitters to quickly get the Campers back to the plate and keep their foot on the gas.

Hook served a two-strike pitch just inside the left-field foul pole for a lead-off solo shot. A throwing error on a Riley Gallagher bunt single allowed Avery Miller, who singled to get on, to score.

Gallagher touched home after back-to-back wild pitches for a 7-0 Allegany lead after two.

Britton, meanwhile, surrendered just three baserunners all night: a hit-by-pitch in the second, a walk in the fourth and an error in the sixth. The walk was only the sophomore's second of the season in 47 innings — she has 112 strikeouts.

The no-hitter was Britton's second in as many playoff games after she tossed a perfect game in the region final against Fort Hill, striking out 17, to lead the Campers to a 9-0 win.

While the Campers did make one error Wednesday, it was of Britton's own volition on a throwing error. In the right-hander's last two starts, her teammates have been spotless defensively.

"I cannot be more grateful for the girls I have behind me in the field," Britton said. "They always step up when I need them, offensively and in the field. They're just an amazing group of girls. Everyone is an athlete on this team, and it's great to have that cushion behind me."

The trickiest play of Britton's no-hitter came with one out in the seventh. Left-handed batter Amanda Warehime sliced a fly ball down the right-field line, but Mackenzie Lambert was there for the put-out near the foul line.

Both pitchers settled into a rhythm after the second inning, as Karns put up three zeroes in a row before Allegany tacked on two insurance runs in the sixth on a two-run single by Britton.

Strother nearly notched another extra-base hit in the third inning, but South Carroll center fielder Sam Rice made a miraculous leaping grab up against the fence.

For the game, Britton batted 2 for 4 with three RBIs and one run; Miller singled twice, walked and scored three times; and Gallagher garnered two singles and two runs.

Allegany scored nine runs on 10 hits with just one error, and South Carroll committed three defensive miscues.

The Campers now pivot to a revenge game in College Park. Though the seniors that guided last year's team — which fell to Patterson Mill, 4-1, in the championship — have since graduated, the young Allegany squad doesn't want to suffer the same fate.

If Allegany continues to play its brand of softball against Patterson Mill and its sensational ace Madison Knight, a Syracuse signee and reigning Maryland Gatorade Player of the Year, the Campers have as good a shot as any to hand them their first loss in 45 games.

"To be the best you want to beat the best," Winner said. "If we play as hard as we can, I'll be satisfied. I'm happy to play them, it shouldn't be easy. The state championship should be exciting."

Alex Rychwalski is a sports reporter at the Cumberland Times-News. Follow him on Twitter @arychwal.