FEDERALSBURG — Kent County was one and done in the Class 1A East I Region high school softball tournament, shut out by a Colonel Richardson club that had swept the home-and-away series by a commanding margin.
But unlike the two regular-season games, heavily favored Colonel Richardson did not give away any outs in the playoff game — something that was not lost on Kent County’s first-year head coach Katie Boardman.
The Trojans finish 2-15, which doesn’t reflect the improvement they made during the season.
“They began to cover bases, understand the rules and situations, and learn to play many different positions,” Boardman said.
“They definitely had ups and downs in the teammates department, but ultimately did have each other’s best interests and have each other’s backs and wanted to see each other succeed,” she said.
All of this was evident in the May 7 playoff game at Colonel Richardson.
“The girls played different positions, cheered for each other as a team and never got their heads down,” despite the 16-0 score, Boardman said.
It’s also worth noting that the team of 15 players stayed intact — no one left the team, no one was put off the team for misbehavior and everyone stayed eligible academically.
That in itself is a win.
“I think the girls enjoyed playing and being on the team, which was a big goal of mine,” Boardman told The Evening Enterprise.
“They worked to stay on the team and had fun at practices, and learned and improved in the games,” she added.
Colonel Richardson [15-5] was the region’s No. 3 seed and Kent County was the No. 6 seed.
No. 2 seed Bohemia Manor [17-2] eliminated Colonel Richardson in the semifinal round, 7-0.
No. 1 seed North Dorchester [20-2] defeated Bo Manor, 3-2 in nine innings, for the region title May 13.
North Dorchester advanced with a 16-0 defeat of No. 4 seed Perryville [7-13] in the semifinals.
As the top two seeds, North Dorchester and Bo Manor received first-round byes.
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North Dorchester is still in hot pursuit of a second state championship in four years after defeating Fallston, 3-2, in the Class 1A quarterfinals on May 15.
Next up Tuesday, May 19 are state semifinal games at the Bachman Sports Complex in Glen Burnie: North Dorchester vs. Boonsboro [28-0] and Eastern Shore champion Mardela [27-0] vs. South Carroll [23-2].
