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The No. 2 seeded Caravel Buccaneers won their fifth straight state championship in dramatic fashion with a walk-off victory over No. 12 seed Sussex Tech Ravens. The Buccaneers needed two tries in the bottom of the seventh inning to defeat the Ravens 3-2 to capture the 2025 DIAA Softball state championship.
Caravel jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning after Leah Richardson reached on a single and was knocked in by Peyton Losten. Listen then knocked in her second RBI of the game when she singled to score Mackenzie Hunter to add an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth inning to take a 2-0 lead into the top of the seventh inning.
With their backs against the wall the Ravens dug deep to score 2 runs in the top of the seventh to keep the game alive. Chloe Warrington led off the inning, followed by a double from Madysen Myers putting both runners in scoring position. Warrington tugged up on a flyball from Adrianna Heck to score the first run of the game for the Ravens. Warrington also tugged up and advanced to third base.
Down to their last batter and last out the season fell on the shoulders of the freshman starting pitcher Cierra Lewis. Lewis battled fouling off numerous pitches before putting the ball in play. She hit a ball to Caravels Richardon at shortstop, which she was able to beat out the throw reaching safely as Warrington crossed the plate to tie the game up at 2-2 and force a bottom of the seventh.
In the bottom of the seventh inning Isabella Mendez led off the inning with a walk and then was sacrificed to second on a bunt from Gabrielle Baran. Richardson followed with a single to right field. On the hit Mendez was sent home by head coach Randy Johnson as she reached third base. Tech’s Meyers fielded the ball and threw it home to create a plate at the plate.
Ravens catcher Isabella Brittington caught the ball and tried to tag Mendez, but missed her as she ran around the glove to tag home safely. The umpire at the plate also called her safe and Caravel began to celebrate as they rushed the field. However, head coach of Sussex Tech Shannon Brown asked for an appeal on the play saying Mendez was out of the baseline when she avoided the tag.
After a short meeting with the umpiring crew decided to overturn the call and called Mendez out for running out of the baseline. The game then had to resume since that was the second out of the inning and it sent Richardson back to second base. Mackenzie Hunter then made sure the game was over on her hit to center field that fell right in front of Tech’s center fielder that scored Richardson without any controversy and the Buccaneers could celebrate the championship without any worry of the play being overturned.
Caravel won their fifth straight softball state championship with the win. It’s their fifteenth overall state championship. Kaley Arrowsmith earned the win for Caravel giving up four hits and two runs (one earned) over seven innings. She struck out six batters while not walking a single batter. Hunter, Richardson, and Losten each collected two hits for Caravel.
Lewis took the loss for Sussex Tech going six and two-thirds innings, giving up three runs on eight hits, striking out six and walking three. Gabriella Gianancopolid, Warrington, Myers, and Heck each collected one hit for Sussex Tech.
