Cougars Lose in Conference Playoff Game, 1-14

In the final high school game for four Oakton seniors, the 2016 Oakton Cougars were knocked out of the Concorde Conference 5 playoff tournament by the Westfield Bulldogs by the score of 1-14.  The team wishes their seniors, Kelly Dunlap, Katie Edwards, Caroline Brogan, and Allie Welham (front row below), the best of luck in college next year.  They will be missed.

The Cougars finished with an overall record of 5 wins, 14 losses and their conference record was 2 wins, 9 losses.

The Cougars kept the game close for the first two innings.  Leading off in the first inning, third baseman Cassie Brazinsky was hit by a pitch to gain first base.  One out later, shortstop Caroline Brogan came up and hit a double past the Bulldog left fielder, and Brazinsky moved to third base.  Unfortunately, both Cougars were left stranded on base when the next two Cougars were put out.

The Cougars didn’t really threaten in the second inning, while Westfield took a one-run lead in the bottom of the inning on two singles.  The Cougars played some nice D in the second inning when first baseman Jo Jo Felix cut a throw from center field and caught the Bulldog batter between first and second bases.  Felix ran toward the Bulldog batter with the ball, and forced her to run toward second base.  Felix threw to second baseman baseman Georgia Brandt and caught the Bulldog in a pickle.  Brandt chased her back toward first base and then threw back to Felix, who had moved to cover first.  Felix put the tag down as the Bulldog tried to dive back to first base and made the out.

The Cougs tied the score in the top of the third inning with some good hitting.  Brazinsky led off with a single to center field.  One out later, Brogan held back her swing and then went opposite field on an outside, off-speed pitch to slash a triple into right field, plating Brazinsky.  Unfortunately, Brogan was left stranded at third base at inning’s end.  The tie score was short-lived, however, as Westfield scored four runs in the inning’s bottom on a triple, a sacrifice fly, and a home run, aided by a Cougar error and wild pitch.

The Cougar defense faltered in innings four through seven, as they committed three more errors and some mental mistakes.  Westfield took advantage of these lapses and also hit well, achieving seven more hits over this stretch.

The Cougar lineup could not get a grip on Westfield’s pitching, and they generated only two more hits during innings four through seven: a double by left fielder Nicole Berube and a single by Brogan.  Brogan had a good night at the plate, hitting three-for-three, with a single, a double, and a triple.

And finally, this season, one Cougar was selected for All Conference Team honors in VHSL Concorde Conference 5:

Caroline Brogan: second team, All Conference, shortstop.

Congratulations, Caroline!