Zero in the Loss Column, No. 1 in the State

Undefeated Again, Broad Run Wins Title

By Matthew Stanmyre

Sunday, June 8, 2008

RADFORD, Va., June 7 — After Broad Run first baseman Karla Powell put away the final out on Saturday, cementing one of the most remarkable two-year runs of any softball team in Virginia, the top-ranked Spartans were measured in their celebration.

The players hugged one another in the infield, and a few tilted their faces to the sky and shouted. Broad Run's 4-0 victory over Tunstall in the Virginia AA championship at Radford University, which stamped the team's legacy as one of the greatest ever in the Washington area, was a conclusion that players and coaches had come to expect.

As Broad Run tore through the season, piling up lopsided victories, the Spartans reacted with a businesslike attitude. It was hard to shake that feeling after they cruised to a victory over Tunstall that never was in doubt, no matter how grand the stage.

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Broad Run Wins Softball Championship

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As Broad Run beats Tunstall, winning the Virginia AA Softball Championship, Broad Run's pitcher, Caitlyn Delehaba, hugs Head Coach Ed Steele. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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At the top of the second inning, Broad Run's Anna Blessing slides into third base, hitting Tunstall's Nicole Barbour's glove to knock the ball loose. Blessing is safe at third. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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In the seventh inning, Broad Run's Karla Powell makes a big stretch, catching the ball and keeping her toe on the bag as Tunstall's Sarah Smith runs to first and is called safe. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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In the first inning Broad Run's Ashley Kramer comes in hard to home plate. She scores but makes contact with Tunstall's catcher Emily Atkinson. A gauze pad was used to stop the blood. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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Broad Run's pitcher, Caitlyn Delahaba, during her Virginia Group AA Championship game against Tunstall. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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Broad Run's Karla Powell runs into home slips past Tunstall's Emily Atkinson just as the just before the ball hits the catchers glove. Powell is safe at home. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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During the first inning, Broad Run's Karla Powell runs into home slips past Tunstall's Emily Atkinson, just before the ball hits the catchers glove. Karla is safe at home. She jumps up after her slide to home and runs past Broad Run's dugout getting high-fives from her teammates. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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Broad Run defeats Tunstall to win the Girls' Virginia State AA Softball Champion. The team has just been presented their first place trophy and lift it up during the awards ceremony. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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"This year, pretty much the whole season, I just never worried about winning or losing," Broad Run Coach Ed Steele said. "I just felt like we were going to win every time.

"Maybe tomorrow afternoon it will really hit me, or maybe Monday morning when I'm sitting in my office. But it's like, you set a goal, you get there and you don't really realize the significance. Everybody else sort of realizes it more than you do."

Broad Run (28-0) stretched its winning streak to 57 and became only the second team in Virginia High School League history to compile consecutive undefeated seasons. The Spartans also are the first team to win two straight AA softball titles since Orange County did it in 1998 and 1999.

Broad Run has vaulted itself among the best teams ever in the area behind a star-studded quartet of four-year starters. Pitcher Caitlyn Delahaba, shortstop Ashley Kramer, second baseman Michelle Clohan and Powell — who all have signed with NCAA Division I teams — have led the Spartans to an 83-1 record over the past three seasons. The team is ranked No. 2 nationally by USA Today.

"It's one thing to win two state titles back-to-back, but it's another to go undefeated two years in a row," Delahaba said. "It's really hard thing to do to win every single game. You have to be on top of your game every game. You can't have any slip-ups."

Delahaba struck out 15 and gave up one hit against Tunstall (23-4). She finished the season without yielding an earned run. Kramer, Clohan and Powell — who bat in that order at the top of the lineup — helped manufacture Broad Run's two runs in the top of the first inning, providing the only run support necessary. The team's other senior, outfielder Kaitlyn Tiplady, went 1 for 3.

"They're probably the best team in 25 years that I've ever seen," Tunstall Coach Roger Cook said. "They are unbelievable."

After the game, the Spartans posed under the scoreboard as fans poured onto the field with digital cameras and hand-held camcorders, marking the moment. Radio and television reporters lined up and beckoned for interviews. The Spartans smiled, soaking in the moment.

"We just proved to everybody that we were going to win no matter what," Powell said. "We did it."

Tagged: Broad Run High School, high school sports, softball

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