Flowers gets one-run victory over Roosevelt

By James A. McCray III
Prince George's County, Content Manager

Ask C.H. Flowers Lady Jaguars starting pitcher Michelle Shackelford what her favorite ice cream is and she smiles and says, "vanilla," without hesitation, "or cookies and cream."

As the Lady Jaguars softball team broke its huddle after Monday afternoon's 2-1 victory over the Eleanor Roosevelt Lady Raiders, two words emerged from the team huddle, "ice cream."

The team was to gather for the late-afternoon snack in celebration of beating the No. 1 seeded Lady Raiders in the second round of the 4A South playoffs, advancing to the regional semifinals in doing so.

Shackelford pitched a complete-game and earned the win from the circle with her nine-strikeout performance, and after the game, the pitcher was at a loss of words.

"It's the best feeling ever," she said. "This is the reason I love softball. This was a varsity game, 2-1, this was the best."

C.H. Flowers head coach Molly Bender was in awe of her starting pitcher's performance as well, adding: "I had a discussion with her at the end of the school day, making sure she was ready to go, and she did a very good job.

" ... The biggest thing is that she started off most batters with a strike, and that was huge."

All would have been for not, though, as a freshman may have played the biggest role in the win.

Leading 1-0 going into the top half of the fifth inning, freshman catcher Jasmine Muir knocked home Flowers' second run of the game to increase the lead to 2-0.

That run proved more than valuable as the Lady Raiders scored its lone run of the game in the bottom half of the seventh inning.

"I was not very here that often, I'm a freshman" Muir explained, "but for these seniors, this was an amazing game since we have never beaten Roosevelt. We played hard, we practiced hard, and it showed off."

On her eventual game-winning RBI, Muir added: "I wasn't trying to get a RBI, but I think that every little run counts, so I think I did my job and it paid off."

"She has been hitting the ball very well," Bender said of Muir. " ... [Muir's RBI] was key, and she had a couple of big RBIs in our last game, too."

Coach Bender can be heard throughout the game yelling instructions, directions, and reminders to her team, and as the ninth-seeded Lady Jaguars gathered their belongings, Bender shouted out one additional note to the squad, saying, "There is a Baskin Robbins down the street."

E-mail: James A. McCray III

C.H. Flowers 2, Eleanor Roosevelt 1
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