Westfield Softball Takes Regional Championship Over McLean

Four years ago, seniors Alex Tenney, Frankie and Jackie Martinez, Jessica McNamara, Jenn Goodman and Alex Bohrer won their first Northern Region Softball Championship together as freshmen, and after Friday's 4-3 win over McLean, they walked off the field with another championship title to bookend their high school career.

After hitting 0-for-2 through six innings, sophomore Caitlin Rudy stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the seventh and turned out to be the unlikely hero of the game.

"I was just looking to hit the ball hard somewhere, and right when the pitch came I knew it was mine," said Rudy.

With the score tied at three, a runner on second base and only one out, Rudy dug her cleats into the dirt, settled into her stance and then crushed a first pitch line drive to the left-center gap. Cheers from the Westfield dugout erupted as pinch runner Courtney Mecimore crossed home plate to give the Bulldogs their second walk-off win in the last four games.

"We faced them [McLean] previously in a scrimmage and she threw me inside a lot, so I [had] a pretty good guess that she'd throw me there," added Rudy.

Prior to this game, McLean had been undefeated when Jamie Bell started on the mound, and she had just pitched a perfect game in the semifinals against South County Wednesday, but the Bulldogs felt no added pressure from the accomplishment.

"Yes, [and] we were so ready to hit her," said McNamara when asked if she knew that Bell had pitched a perfect game. "We were very confident. Our whole lineup, one through nine, did very well tonight."

Westfield jumped on the scoreboard early in the first inning after McNamara hit a line drive double to left field that sent Jackie Martinez across home plate. Later, in the bottom of the third, with a runner on first and McLean leading 2-1, McNamara smashed a home run over the left-center fence to take back the lead and refocus the Bulldog dugout.

"I really wanted to get the momentum back," said McNamara. "We were starting to get a little nervous. I was very happy I hit that, because everyone seemed to calm down after that."

Goodman started on the mound for the Bulldogs before being pulled after the third inning. She allowed two runs on four hits, including a home run by McLean junior Allison Wilhelm, before being replaced with Keona Gaines, who allowed only one run on four hits in her four-inning effort.

"It was an even-steven game," said McLean coach Maurice Tawil. "We caught up twice, so I'm very very proud of the way we played. We said all along, if we're going to lose a game, let them win it."

McNamara hit 2-for-3 with a home run and was voted Northern Region Softball Tournament Most Valuable Player. She will play softball at Virginia Tech next year.

Rudy hit 1-for-3 with a walk-off double.

McNamara, Carrie Otroba and Frankie Martinez were voted to the All-Region team.

Jessie Straub and Allison Wilhelm made the All-Region team from McLean.