Hammond, the defending state champion, got off to a shaky start but bounced back to beat visiting Calvert, 4-1, in the second round of the Class 2A South regional playoffs May 13.

Stephanie Speierman uncharacteristically walked three batters and hit another to force in a run in the first inning. A week ago, that would have been the end of Hammond's playoff bid.

But unlike in the loss to Glenelg in last week's county championship game, Hammond's bats were alive and Speierman shut out the Cavaliers the rest of the way for the win.

"It took me a couple batters to find (that umpire's) strike zone," Speierman said. But with the bases loaded, Speierman struck out the seventh batter in the inning and got out with just one run.

She then drew a walk to start a four-run rally in the bottom of the first, with Kayla Hunley (single), Katie McCarthy (single), Morgan Mesol (two-run triple) and Sarah McCauley (sacrifice bunt) fueling the rally.

"Our girls were more confident today (compared to the loss to Glenelg). That loss is really going to help us," Hammond coach Richard Pond said. "It shocked the girls and brought them back to reality."

Hammond is the lone Howard County survivor in 2A action. Marriotts Ridge lost to Patuxent, 8-2; River Hill lost to McDonough, 1-0, and Mt. Hebron lost to North Point, 13-6.

Calvert beat Oakland Mills, 11-0, in the first round. "We made some very costly mistakes," Marriotts Ridge coach Jodi Robinson said after the loss to Patuxent.

Amanda Harrison doubled in Kelsy Littlejohn and Ashley Kellner for Marriotts Ridge's runs.

River Hill was intimidated by McDonough's 6-foot-3 pitcher, coach Marni Rosenbaum said. "We saw her as soon as pulled into the parking lot." Still, the Hawks had two great scoring opportunities, including a fourth-inning rally started when Emily Posey singled. She was later thrown out at the plate trying to score from second on Kathryn Knaus' single.

Class 3A East

Atholton, Long Reach and Centennial all advanced another round with wins May 13.

Atholton rallied in the bottom of the fifth to break open a scoreless game to beat Howard, 3-0. Kylen Seamonson scored on a double by Stephanie McGowan. Laura Wells doubled in McGowan and later scored the final run in the inning. Chelsey Ponce pitched the shutout.

Allison Seeley pitched a one-hit, 6-0 shutout against Meade to advance Howard to the second round. Brea Curley, Emma Smith and Beth Toland singled and Ali York doubled in a five-run first inning.

Long Reach posted its seventh straight win by beating North Harford, 7-5.

Michelle Gravdahl and Jessica Ur both had two RBIs in the win. Long Reach played Northeast (Anne Arundel) in the quarterfinals, too late for this edition.

Meg Tucker pitched a five-inning shutout as Centennial rolled to a 14-0 win over Annapolis. "It was a nice win," said coach Dale Huting, who was pleased that Katie Hobson got some playing time. "She's been sitting out with an injury for weeks. It's been a frustrating season for her," he said. She walked and had a double.

With just six varsity players, Wilde Lake lost to Aberdeen, 9-4.

Two players were taking AP tests and four were in a choir concert, said coach Diana Caporaletti. Nonetheless, Grace Koplow (defense), Ilana Waldman (triple), Kristina Jackson (two stolen bases) and outfielder Claire Douglass (defense) had strong games. Junior varsity pitcher Sarah Ramsterom started the game.

Reservoir lost to Northeast (Anne Arundel), 4-1. "We had one bad inning," and gave up three runs in the fourth, said coach Julie Frisvold. The Gators' lone run was scored by Erica Christian. Bri Montgomery moved her to second, and Molly Gigoli tripled to score Christian.

Class 1A South

Glenelg, the top seed in the South region, had a first-round bye and lost to Bohemia Manor, 11-3, in the second round.

E-mail Karen Brelsford at howardcountysports@patuxent.com.

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