Lady Jaguars win 4A South title

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

Although the skies above the 4A South softball championship were dim and gray, smiles were as bright --if not brighter-- than that of any sun could be for the C.H. Flowers Lady Jaguars.

The smiles came after the Lady Jaguars (No. 9 seed) earned a 3-1 victory over the hosting Bowie Lady Bulldogs (No. 2) delivering Flowers its first-ever softball regional title.

And as the skies promised rain at times, the only drops of water on the day came from the Lady Jaguar players in the forms of tears, in particular junior starting pitcher Michelle Shackelford who pitched a complete game in the victory.

"It was great," Shackelford said. "I was just so happy I had to cry."

But before the tears, before the smiles, there was a game to be played, and the game got started for the Lady Jaguars on an Ariel Spencer triple for the first hit of the game in the top half of the second inning.

Teammate Jasmine Muir then plated Spencer with a RBI sacrifice fly in the very next at-bat to give Flowers a 1-0 lead.

"Every time I get up at-bat, [head coach Molly] Bender just tells me to hit the first strike, and that's what I did," Spencer said.

"It's a continuous thing for me," Muir added about her RBI. "I don't understand how it happens."

The quick start was good for the Lady Jaguars and coach Bender as it helped lead to the eventual victory.

"It feels great," she explained of the championship feeling. "I have known for the past few years that we have always had a lot of talent, we have just been lacking experience.

"These girls did the best they could, working hard in the off season and playing in the fall league and things like that."

The biggest hit of the game came from the bat of senior first baseman Dionna Clemons hit a solo home run into left field increasing the lead to 2-0 just one inning letter.

"It's great, it's wonderful, it feels amazing," Clemons said of the championship.

Although Flowers would add an additional run in the fifth inning, the earlier two runs were enough to clinch the 4A South and a trip to the Maryland state tournament.

Bowie scored its only run of the game in the bottom half of the fifth inning as an error allowed Skylar McBarnette to cross the plate and cut the lead to 3-1.

However, the Lady Bulldogs and head coach Sarah Bible fell just short in its bid for a regional title.

"I told them that they are the best part of my day," Bible said of her team. "It is a privilege to coach and it is a privilege to be called, 'Coach,' and I had a great group of kids. A lot of these seniors led the team unbelievably, but Flowers was the better team today. ... A three-one game is a good game."

The Lady Jaguars will now travel to Bachman Park in Anne Arundel County for their state semifinal contest, a game scheduled for 7 p.m.

"They are just excited to be where they are at," Bender said. "This was a huge hump for them to get over because this is the third time we have been in this championship game. Years past, we have been 10-run ruled, so we are glad to get over that hump, and it will be an experience for them."


E-mail: James A. McCray III

C.H. Flowers 3, Bowie 1
Flowers   0 1 1   0 1 0   0  -- 3 4 1
Bowie     0 0 0   0 1 0   0  -- 1 4 2