Glenelg already had Hope and Faith and took advantage of a little charity from Hammond to upset the defending county champions and win its first county softball title since 2004.

Marriotts Ridge, in its third year of existence, won the school's first county title in a team sport by beating Centennial, the defending county champion, 5-2, in baseball.

Glenelg beats Hammond, 3-1

Glenelg scratched out single runs in three innings and got a commanding, no-hit pitching performance from Casey Schmidt to clinch a 3-1 win over Hammond May 7.

Glenelg also used Hammond miscues -- a dropped third strike in one inning and throwing errors in two others -- to help push across the runs.

Hammond (15-1 regular county season) was highly favored to win its second straight county championship.

"We knew we were the underdog," Glenelg second baseman Faith Walter said.

Ashley McGlynn scored what turned out to be the winning run in the fifth inning. With the game tied at one, she reached second on a throwing error. Hope LaHayne moved her to third with another infield grounder, and Walter laid down a bunt to score her.

The Gladiators added an insurance run in the sixth inning.

"Last year, we went down swinging," said Glenelg coach Dean Sheridan, recalling the 5-0 loss to Hammond in the 2007 championship game. This time, Glenelg bunted to put the ball in play and used its speed to force Hammond "to make some decisions" defensively, he said.

Hammond had beaten Glenelg, 9-0, during a regular season game earlier this spring.

Stephanie Speierman scored Hammond's lone run in the rematch. She bunted for a fourth-inning, lead-off single, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Kayle Hunley and scored on Katie McCarthy's grounder that was misplayed in the infield.

"It sucks to lose," added Speierman, who struck out 13, "but I don't mind losing to a good team."

Mustangs top Centennial, 5-2

Having now been open for three years, Marriotts Ridge is running out of firsts. First team, first prom, first senior class ... all have been done. The Mustangs can check first county title off their list, too.

"All of our sports programs have worked for this. This is just for Marriotts Ridge right here," said senior third baseman John Cruz, who drove in two runs in support of starting pitcher Tim Blair.

Blair had beaten Centennial in mid-April with a complete game five-hitter. This time, he was even better. The right hander flummoxed the Centennial offense, facing 25 batters, just four more than the minimum of 21, allowing only two hits and one earned run.

Centennial's Ben Winter has been exceptional this season on the mound, but struggled with his control in the county title game.

"Anytime you give them extra baserunners and extra outs, it never really pans out really well for you," Centennial coach Denis Ahearn said. "You throw your best and if (their pitcher is) better than you that day, and you don't have a good day at the plate, they win."

E-mail Andrew Conrad at aconrad@patuxent.com and Karen Brelsford at howardcountysports@ patuxent.com.

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