A year later, a much-anticipated rematch is all set.
For the second-straight year, the Madison Warhawks (18-3) and Washington-Liberty Generals (13-7) were scheduled to meet in the semifinals earlier this week of the 6D North Region girls softball tournament. Last spring, W-L upset Madison in the semifinals en route to becoming the Cinderella story of the high-school tourney, and winning the competition.
This spring, Madison hopes to win the semifinal and get a bit of revenge.
Behind errorless defense, the Warhawks advanced to the semifinals of the eight-team tournament with an 11-1 slaughter-rule victory over the visiting Yorktown Patriots in the opening round. The Generals defeated Centreville, 4-2, in their first-round game.
Madison had 14 hits against Yorktown and took control early by scoring six runs in the first inning.
Leading the hitting was Graciela Dominguez with four hits, including a double and one RBI. Rachel Schlueter (double, three RBI), Katrina Swan (double, three RBI), Rain Castro (double) and Sofia Marshall all had two hits for Madison.
Anna Mack hit a two-run first-inning home run. Starting pitcher Ava Livingston had one hit.
On the mound, Livingston threw a two-hitter in the five-inning contest. She allowed one earned run and did not walk or strike out a batter, throwing just 42 pitches and facing 17 batters.
It was the fourthstraight game Madison did not commit a fielding error.
* In other first-round 6D North Region girls softball tournament action, the Liberty District-tourney championship McLean Highlanders (16-5) defeated the visiting Westfield Bulldogs, 5-2, and the visiting Langley Saxons (14-8) blanked the South Lakes Seahawks, 2-0, as Maddie White threw a one-hitter and struck out seven.
Langley had just four hits, going to White, Charlotte Loving (one RBI), Kira Lentz and Reese Torres.
For McLean, Elise Walker had two hits and an RBI and pitched a complete game.
Also with two hits each were Macey Johnson, Willa Steeg and Taylor Staak. Gabby Colder had one hit and Hailey Simpson doubled.
In the district-tournament championship game, McLean defeated the Washington-Liberty Generals, 6-2. Walker threw a six-hitter with 10 strikeous and two walks.
Steeg had three hits and two RBI, Piper Tedrow had two hits and two RBI, E.K. Templer doubled, and had two RBI and Colder doubled.
The Highlanders were 3-0 in the tournament.
McLean and Langley were scheduled to meet in the region semifinals earlier this week. Langley defeated McLean in two regular-season games this spring.
NOTE: McLean head coach Maurice Tawil recently won his 275 career game, all coming at McLean. He entered the region semifinal tournament with 277 career victories. Tawil likely would be near 300 victories if the 2020 and 2021 seasons had not been canceled and shortened, respectively, because of the pandemic. McLean was projected to have a strong teams in the canceled 2020 campaign.