Rising Sun clips No. 12 Patterson Mill

Barks’ homerun in seventh inning clinches UCBAC Chesapeake softball crown for No. 6 Tigers

VSN Staff

Published 5/2/2023 12:03 a.m. EDT, Updated 5/2/2023 1:19 p.m. EDT

Rising Sun coach Paul Taylor (left) talks to his team after last year's Class 2A state softball championship game. The No. 6 Tigers claimed the UCBAC Chesapeake crown Monday with a 2-1 victory over 12th-ranked Patterson Mill in Harford County.
Rising Sun coach Paul Taylor (left) talks to his team after last year's Class 2A state softball championship game. The No. 6 Tigers claimed the UCBAC Chesapeake crown Monday with a 2-1 victory over 12th-ranked Patterson Mill in Harford County. (Derek Toney)

Last month, Rising Sun High’s softball team ended Patterson Mill’s winning streak.

Monday, the Tigers ended the Huskies’ reign atop the UCBAC Chesapeake. No. 6 Rising Sun defeated the 12th-ranked Huskies, 2-1, in Bel Air.

Kelsey Barks’ leadoff home run in the top of seventh was the difference for the Tigers (15-1 overall), who claimed its 15th straight victory since a season-opening loss to Delaware’s Laurel. The win also secured the UCBAC Chesapeake crown (10-0) for the Cecil County school.

Bri Cole went 3-for-4 with an RBI and South Alabama University recruit Cadence Williams struck out six over three relief innings for the victory. Starter Faith McCullough allowed a run and four hits in four innings.

Patterson Mill (12-3, 7-3 Chesapeake) got two hits off McCullough in the home second. Audrey March opened with a double, and, with two outs, Kelsey Price singled to center, bringing home March for the game’s first run.

The Tigers immediately answered in the third with Catherine Meadows’ leadoff double off Huskie reliever Alyssa Miller. After a wild pitch advanced Meadows to third, Cole brought her home with a single.

Down 0-2, Barks took Miller’s next offering over the leftfield fence for the eventual winning run. Williams retired the side in the bottom of the seventh, giving Rising Sun the season sweep.

Williams, who lost twice to Patterson Mill and standout pitcher Madison Knight (now at Syracuse University) last season, tossed a complete game two-hitter in a 5-0 victory last month in Cecil County. It snapped a 43-game regular season win streak for the Huskies, who suffered their only loss last spring in the Class 1A state title game.

Savannah Reedy had two hits Tuesday for Patterson Mill, which will finish Chesapeake play this week with matches against Bel Air and Bohemia Manor. Rising Sun closes its regular season with Harford Tech and Fallston.

NO. 5 RISING SUN 2, NO. 12 PATTERSON MILL 1

Rising Sun 001 000 1 - 2 10 0

Patterson Mill 010 000 0 - 1 5 0

McCullough, Williams (5) and Cole; Baldwin, Miller (3) and Hiebler

2B: Rising Sun - Meadows; Patterson Mill - Cole, March

HR: Rising Sun - Barks

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