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Marshall Softball Reaches Liberty Finals
Statesmen have
enjoyed winning
season under
coach Campbell.
By Rich Sanders
The Connection
In the end, the Marshall High
softball team’s aspirations of
capturing the program’s first
district title since 1976 fell
just short. But the Statesmen have
made an outstanding late season
run to shake things up in the always
strong Liberty District.
Marshall (12-9) lost its district
tournament finals game to Stone
Bridge 3-1, on Monday night, May
18. The championship game took
place at Madison High School.
The Statesmen, who finished in
the middle of the district standings
during the regular season with a
7-7 record, have put things together
over the latter portions of
the season. They will be a team to
watch at the upcoming Northern
Region playoffs, set to begin later
this week.
Marshall closed the regular season
with back-to-back district wins
over Thomas Jefferson and South
Lakes to finish .500 in the district
standings. Then, in the district
tournament, the Statesmen’s’ momentum
continued as the team
defeated Langley, 1-0, and topseeded
McLean, 4-
1, in eight
innings to
reach the finals
against
S t o n e
Bridge.
EARLIER
THIS SEA-
SON when
uniforms were being handed out,
someone grabbed hold of an old,
Photo by Robbie Hammer/The Connection
Marshall (12-9) lost its district tournament finals game to Stone Bridge 3-1, on Monday
night, May 18.
red Marshall softball jersey. Soon,
the nostalgic uniform top became
the rallying cry for this year’s team.
“This is a team that has really come
together and played as a team. Our
hitting has really done well. We’ve been
aggressive at the plate.”
— Coach Laura Campbell, Marshall High softball
It was a sweep for Marshall in
Monday’s Northern Region in
dividual girls’ tennis finals.
Freshman Faby Chaillo kept her
unbeaten streak alive by knocking
off a previous regional champion,
senior Yilan Zhang of Westfield, 6-
Before games all season long, the
Marshall players have raised the
2, 6-2, to capture the region
crown.
The match started off with both
players testing each other and the
first few games were fairly lengthy.
Then Chaillo, starting to find her
range and choosing her shots
jersey and recited the following
chant: “When’s the last time we
won the district?”
The response is
always “1976.”
Then, “When are
we going to win
again?” And the response,
“2009.”
Marshall almost
pulled it off. But district
runner-up is
not such a bad thing
for a program that
has known limited
success over the years.
“Since the first game, they’ve
smartly, got on a roll. She went on
to win the first set, 6-2. She carried
that momentum into the second
set, building a 5-0 lead. Zhang
made a brief comeback, but
Chaillo quickly closed the door
with another 6-2 win to capture
the match and region crown.
Following the singles play,
Chaillo and doubles partner Ana
Dominguez returned to the courts
been carrying [the old jersey]
around. Winning the district has
been a focus for us since day one,”
said second-year head coach Laura
Campbell. “I think this team has
started to play well as a unit.”
During Campbell’s first season at
the helm in 2008, Marshall finished
8-10-1.
But the Statesmen have improved
their offensive production
this season, and they are playing
a crisper game in the field. The
result has been a winning season,
a run to the district finals and a
berth in the region playoffs. A year
ago, Marshall missed out on quali-
and kept their unbeaten streak
alive by defeating a team from
Yorktown in the finals. With the
win, the Statesmen duo captured
the region doubles championship.
Next, Chaillo and Dominquez
will advance to the state AAA individual
championships, set to
take place at Lewinsville Park
(McLean) June 4-6.
The following Marshall High
fying for the regionals after a first
round district tournament loss to
Langley.
Campbell credits her four team
captains, senior second baseman
Elizabeth Stonehill, junior catcher
Michelle Tilson, junior center
fielder Olivia Ellis and senior third
baseman Tricia Wallace, with guiding
the Statesmen to high achievements
this season.
“They’ve been helpful in getting
the younger girls in line as far as
expectations for the team,” said
Campbell. “They’ve really stepped
up as leaders.”
In her team’s district semifinals
win over McLean, Wallace singled
in the go-ahead run in the eighth
inning to give the Statesmen a 2-
1 lead on way to the 4-1 victory.
THREE MARSHALL PLAYERS
earned recent First Team All-Liberty
District accolades in Tilson
(catcher), junior first baseman
Lauren Sanata and junior pitcher
Christine Grilliot (at-large selection).
On the mound, Grilliot has been
a model of consistency and hard
work. Catcher Tilson calls the
pitches from behind the plate and
Grilliot executes them.
“She’s been really consistent all
year in hitting her spots and keeping
batters off balance,” said
Campbell, of the pitching ace.
At the plate this season, Grilliot
has led the Statesmen in RBIs.
Tilson, meanwhile, has led the
team in batting and extra base hits.
She has knocked three home runs.
Two other Marshall players
earned All-District recognition:
Stonehill at second base (Second
Team) and Ellis in center field
(Honorable Mention).
“This is a team that has really
come together and played as a
team,” said Campbell, a former
collegiate softball player at Slippery
Rock University (Pa.). “Our
hitting has really done well. We’ve
been aggressive at the plate.”
Marshall’s Chaillo Wins Region Singles Tennis Title
Chaillo and Dominquez
team to win doubles as well.
Vienna/Oakton Connection Sports Editor Rich Sanders
703-917-6439 or richsand8@aol.com
players garnered postseason
awards during the regional tournament:
No. 1 singles player Faby
Chaillo (First Team All-Region);
No. 2 singles player Ana
Dominguez
(First Team); No. 4 singles
player Amanda Crider (First Team);
and No. 6 singles player Kelly Crider
(First Team). Sarah Doan earned
Honorable Mention All-Region.
Vienna Connection ❖ May 20-26, 2009 ❖ 15