Softball: Owls Oust Perry Hall from Playoffs [Pictures]

Don’t let their in-season record fool you. The 7-12 Westminster Owls are not to be trifled with.

“We really started to come into our own in the post season,” head coach Ashley Moyer said. “One thing that I've stressed to the girls is that our season record means nothing in the post season. The teams that we face know nothing about us.”

The Lady Owls ousted Perry Hall 3-0 in the regional semifinals of the class 4A softball playoffs Wednesday.

View the full bracket here.

“We played a hard regular season schedule and we came out of it looking to show that we are better than our record,” Moyer said.

A standout performance from freshman pitcher Emily Maseth made the difference against a sturdy Perry Hall that ended the regular season with a 15-4 record.

On the mound, Maseth struck out three batters in the fifth, before knocking a triple deep into left field to bring around the third and final run of the game.
 
“She knows her way around the field," Moyer said. She’s got a lot of great pitches. She knows what to pitch to get outs. She’s a smart player all-around. She has been a great asset to the team all season.”

Gators’ softball was the last team in Perry Hall competing for regional glory going into Wednesday’s contest. But it’s not all bad news for head coach Brian Radcliffe.

“We’ve had a great year—15-4, there’s nothing wrong with that,” Radcliffe said. “I’m disappointed that we didn’t hit the ball a little bit better today. But defensively, we did a nice job.”

Radcliffe was proud of his girls who executed two trick plays—fake throws to first to tag the advancing runner. But good defense wasn’t enough to overcome the Owls.

“I don’t know if they are surprising people or they’re just getting better,” Radcliffe said. “Sometimes you get the bear and sometimes the bear gets you.”

Under Radcliffe’s 18 years as head coach, the Gators have tallied 16 winning seasons with a 233-108 record.

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