McDonogh softball coach Bridget Collins wavered for a number of years about whether her team needed to move from the A to B Conference in the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland.
After winning the A Conference title in 2001, McDonogh struggled to keep pace with teams like Archbishop Spalding and Seton Keough. So, after losing six seniors after last season, Collins felt the time was right to move into the B Conference, which would give her young team a better chance to compete.
The move appears to have paid off for McDonogh, which entered Tuesday?s game against Chapelgate Christian in first place in the league. The Eagles improved to 11-3 overall and 9-2 in the B Conference after a 6-5 come-from-behind win over two-time defending league champion Maryvale Prep Monday. The Lions (11-3, 10-3) fell to second with the loss.
“It was a difficult decision to move to the B Conference,” said Collins, who is in her seventh year as coach. “But this move gave us a chance to be competitive, and there is some very good softball in this league.”
On Monday, McDonogh appeared to be heading for a long afternoon after falling behind, 3-0, in the first inning. The Eagles rallied to tie the score at 3-3 after an RBI single from catcher Stacy Berg in the bottom of the third. Maryvale Prep answered with two runs in the top of the fifth before McDonogh rallied again, taking the lead for good in the bottom of the inning after a two-run single from freshman shortstop/outfielder Bailey Kerschner.
Kerschner said it felt great to get the game-winning hit after striking out and popping out in her previous two at-bats. She added that her team never got down after falling behind early because it had trailed by three runs earlier this season before coming back in a 6-4 win over Notre Dame Prep.
“After coming back against NDP, we knew what we had to do,” Kerschner said.
McDonogh pitcher Emily Trosch has a similar mindset, refusing to get rattled against Maryvale Prep. As the team?s only pitcher, she knows she has to remain calm each time she takes the mound.
“If you go out there and get nervous, you?re just going to mess up in the end,” Trosch said.
