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How the Cats got here

Softball overpowers Bulldogs behind Gilder homerun

Softball goes back-to-back with region championship win over Vikings

May 20, 2023 saw the Walter Johnson Wildcats mercy ruled 18-0 at home by the Urbana Hawks in the 4A state quarterfinal.

But one year to the day later, the Wildcats sunk their teeth into the sweet dish of revenge, cooking up a 9-7 victory over the Hawks in the same quarterfinal game, and sending them into their first-ever state semifinal.

The turbulent game opened with a 2-run inning from the Hawks, who had won their region against Northwest 7-1.

The top of the first inning included WJ’s starting pitcher Sami Rosenberg walking two batters. The Wildcats had hoped to avoid a repeat of the strong start Urbana had gotten last year, where they scored 7 runs in the top of the first inning.

“My biggest concern was the team we were playing … We knew it was a different team, we knew we’re a different team, but mentally, would [we] be able to get over that obstacle and be convinced that [we] could win?” head coach Richard Carter said.

The answer to that question came in the bottom of the first inning as the Wildcats responded to the Hawk’s early 2-0 lead by scoring 2 runs of their own, thanks to RBIs off of hits from Rosenberg and sophomore catcher Alina Bonior.

“After [the team] gave up the 2 runs in the first inning, and then they answered back, I kind of knew we were gonna have a shot, and they just kept battling,” Carter said.

The Wildcats gave up another 2 runs in the top of the second inning and struggled in the bottom of the second and third innings, scoring no runners.

The bottom of the fourth inning saw a solo home run from senior Ellie Langley to make it a 4-3 ball game and also marked the end of the day for Urbana’s starting pitcher senior Delainey Quartucci.

Freshman Clara Woodham took Quartucci’s place at the circle and would pitch the rest of the game for the Hawks.

“When they brought in the second one, we didn’t panic, we started hitting her too, and we never gave it up,” Carter said.

After holding the Hawks scoreless in the third, fourth and fifth innings, the Wildcats would take the lead for the first time in the game in the bottom of the fifth inning. Sophomore shortstop Addie Strbak led off with a single and the team eventually loaded the bases with no outs, scoring 3 runs before Urbana could turn on damage control and retire the inning trailing 6-4.

The top of the sixth saw the Wildcats give up the lead as the Hawks scored three to take a 7-6 lead before the Wildcats scored another three in the bottom of the sixth for the fourth lead change of the game and to make the score 9-7.

Rosenberg, playing in her last-ever game at home, ended the game in the top of the seventh inning with a strikeout to send the Hawks home packing.

“It’s really sad [to leave], but you couldn’t have asked for a better ending with a better group of people,” Rosenberg said. “Everybody was here and everybody wanted to win. We got it done.”

The win was one of the best, grittiest wins the team has pulled out this season. Rarely have the Wildcats managed to claw back from going down early, often losing or winning their games by big margins.

“The whole team pulled through, everyone contributed to the team effort and the amazing win,” junior designated hitter Vivian Liebreich said. “[Urbana] thought they would beat us because they beat us 18-0 last year, but it just made us want to fight harder.”

Watch the team celebrate their first-ever state semifinal, avenging their 18-0 loss to the Hawks in 2023 (Courtesy WJ Athletics via X)

Carter reflected on how far the softball program had come since he took over the program in 2018.

“I reluctantly took over the job to help with JV … and I got kinda thrown into varsity. We had two wins my first year … Now we’re at 16. It’s just been a steady progression … We knew at some point we’d turn it around, and this is the fruit of that labor,” Carter said.

After amassing 15 wins last season in their run to the state quarterfinal, the team’s 16th win over Urbana made the 2024 season softball’s winningest season of all time.

Into their first-ever state semifinal, the Wildcats will have a quick turnaround as they face the Leonardtown Raiders on May 21 at 7 p.m. at Bachman Field.

The Raiders will also have to deal with a tight turnaround as their starting pitcher Claire Radford threw over 130 pitches in a 12-inning showdown with the Crofton Cardinals Monday afternoon.

“They’re a great team, I’m sure. At this point, it’s like icing on the cake. We’re just going out there, we have nothing to lose. We don’t know much about them, [and] it’s hard going into games blind. All I know is I have faith in my team,” Carter said.

Despite the tight turnaround and the unknown nature of what lies ahead, the team remained confident for their biggest game of the season and careers.