After pulling a stunning upset in the semifinals, Atholton stumbled in the Class 3A state championship game and lost to Northern, 7-0, May 24 at the University of Maryland.

The Calvert County school was buoyed by a three-hit pitching performance from freshman Kaitlyn Schmeiser and backed her with a five-run seventh inning to win its fifth state title since 1994.

"Everyone thought we were the underdog so we had a lot to prove, but we were a little short today," Atholton's sophomore pitcher Chelsey Ponce said. "I could have done a lot better. We all could have done better."

Northern, which finished with a 16-7 record, had single runs in the first and fourth and pounded Atholton with six hits in the last-inning rally. Ponce gave up eight hits, walked two and struck out six in the championship game.

"I couldn't find my groove at all," said Ponce. "My mechanics were all wrong, and I think I was trying to throw too hard. I wasn't playing my game."

Atholton's bats, which were on fire in an 8-1 win over previously unbeaten Franklin in the semifinals, struggled against Schmeiser.

"Her changeup was devastating to our team," said first baseman Haylie Goheen.

Still, the Raiders had opportunities. They left runners on second and third in the first, and loaded the bases in the sixth. Erica Makar started the first-inning rally with a single and Melanie Slayton reached on an error to start the sixth-inning threat, with Makar following with another single.

Laura Wells doubled with one out in the seventh to start a last-ditch effort but was stranded there.

"Our bats didn't come around," second baseman A.J. Ponce said. "I don't think we were intimidated but we weren't going to the plate confident. (Schmeiser) was able to get into our minds."

That was in stark contrast to the Raiders' semifinal win. Atholton exuded confidence against Franklin, breaking out for four runs in the first and adding two more in the second to end Franklin's win streak at 22. Ponce silenced Franklin's bats; she gave up just two hits and struck out 15. The Raiders also took advantage of six errors by the Baltimore County champions.

"We practiced all week in the cage and we were hitting well, but we couldn't catch up to her today," Franklin coach Ed Lahay said about Chelsey Ponce.

In the final, Northern's first run came on a controversial play. Leadoff batter Kristin Schalk singled and later scored on a wild pitch. Catcher Liz Sullivan quickly got the errant ball rebounding off the backstop and tossed it to Chelsey Ponce, who appeared to tag Schalk in time to get the out. But the umpire ruled that the pitcher had obstructed the runner and declared Schalk safe.

"I think that play took the sail out of them," Atholton coach Maureen Shacreaw said about her players. "That wasn't what lost the game, but it set the tone."

Shacreaw added that the team needed to put the loss into perspective, noting that the team had turned around its season to finish at 17-6 after winning just four games a year ago.

"This is a group of kids who a year ago ended their season two weeks ago," in the first round of the playoffs, she said.

Shacreaw said she told the players after the game that they had represented their school and their county well and they needed to be proud.

"Any loss is a disappointment," Robyn Biegel said, "but we had a great season and a lot of fun, too."

E-mail Karen Brelsford at howard countysports@patuxent.com.

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