Battle of unbeatens: Allegany meets Mardela for spot in title game

May 21—GLEN BURNIE — For the first time all year, either Allegany or Mardela will leave the field Tuesday as the losing team.

The third-seeded Campers, a perfect 20-0 and winners in 68 of 71 games over the past four seasons, take on the second-seeded Warriors (24-0) in the Class 1A state semifinals Tuesday at 4 p.m. at the Bachman Sports Complex in Anne Arundel County.

With its sights on a second state championship in three years, Allegany wouldn't want it any other way.

"That's really the way it should be," Allegany head coach Dave Winner said. "If we're the best team, then you should have to beat them to be state champs. ... We're just excited to be there and hope we play well."

Allegany is making its sixth state semifinal appearance, a place the Campers have never lost. They've won championships in 2022, 2010 and 1990 and were state runner-ups in 2021 and 2017.

Mardela, located in Mardela Springs in Wicomico County, is making its 13th semifinal trip and has a 4-8 record at this stage. It won the Class C (now Class 1A) championship in 1980 and fell in the title game in 1978, 1981 and 2012.

Both Allegany and Mardela were eliminated by Catoctin last year. The Campers fell 1-0 in the state quarterfinals and Mardela 3-2 in the semifinals.

Catoctin ended up losing in the championship game 1-0 to North Dorchester.

Mardela made sure North Dorchester couldn't repeat.

The teams were moved into the same subregion in this year's reclassification, and Mardela won 3-0 in the East Region II championship game behind a no-hit, 12-strikeout performance from Ava Twilley.

A 5-foot-10 right-handed pitcher, Twilley, a sophomore, has a fastball that maxes out at 63 miles per hour.

Twilley might not even be the best pitcher on her own team.

One round prior, Hayden Adkins, also a sophomore RHP, threw a perfect game in a 7-0 win over Snow Hill in the region semis. She struck out 15 of the 21 hitters she faced.

That was her fourth perfect game of the year. During the regular season, Adkins had an 11-0 record and a 0.24 ERA in 58 innings pitched with 110 strikeouts to just seven walks and 14 hits.

Adkins threw another no-hitter, her third of the year, in Mardela's state quarterfinal game, a 10-0 win over Bohemia Manor on Friday. She fanned seven and walked one in the five inning mercy-rule victory.

Camryn Dorr and Twilley hit back-to-back home runs to fuel Mardela's offense in that victory.

With Allegany ace Abi Britton, a Penn State signee with four perfect games of her own this year and 10 for her career, a lock to toe the rubber on the Campers' side, anything but a pitcher's duel would be a surprise.

"We know they're good," Winner said. "They have two pitchers. Twilley throws pretty hard. They're gonna be a good opponent.

"I'm thinking 2-1, 1-0, maybe 3-2 (as the final score). If we can score a couple runs, we have a chance. You have to score to win. We have hit the good pitchers pretty well."

Britton has a 16-0 won-loss record and a microscopic 0.08 ERA in 88 innings in the circle. The RHP has allowed just one earned run all year on 18 hits with 223 strikeouts and four walks.

Mardela has 287 runs this year (12.0 per game) and has allowed 11 (0.5 per game).

Allegany has 168 (9.3 per game) and has surrendered just five (0.3 per game) — two with Britton in the circle.

Allegany is hitting .389 as a team and has seven everyday players batting at least .300: Britton (.614), Desi Hilton (.536), UMBC signee Riley Gallagher (.492), Mackenzie Monahan (.453), Sky Porter (.391), Kylie Hook (.333) and Jordyn Sneathen (.312).

Britton leads Allegany with nine home runs and 31 runs batted in. Britton also has 11 doubles, meaning 20 of her 35 hits have gone for extra bases.

Gallagher leads Alco with 14 two-baggers and 24 runs scored. Monahan has three homers and has displayed the squad's best batting eye, drawing a team-high 14 walks.

Defensively, Allegany has committed just three errors in 18 games for a team 0.991 fielding percentage.

One play or hit may just decide the outcome of today's semifinal game, and Allegany hopes its schedule provided the necessary experience to find a way through.

The Campers have beaten three West Virginia state tournament teams in University (21-9), 4-0; Keyser (25-9), 3-1; and Petersburg (25-8), 8-0.

Allegany's closest game was against Morgantown (20-9), a 2-1 comeback win on the road that avenged a loss to the Mohigans last year — the Campers' lone regular-season defeat of the past four seasons.

Morgantown was swept by University in their regional championship series.

Allegany dealt Meyersdale (18-2) its lone regular-season loss. Britton out-dueled Izabella Donaldson in the circle, who is going to Frostburg State, and Monahan blasted a two-run homer in the fifth inning in the 2-0 win.

"I think the girls are set," Winner said. "The four seniors are ready to go. They have a good mindset."

The winner of Allegany and Mardela advances to play the winner of No. 1 Boonsboro (21-1) and No. 5 Francis Scott Key (19-2) for the state championship in College Park on Friday or Saturday.

Alex Rychwalski is a sports reporter at the Cumberland Times-News. Follow him on Twitter @arychwal.