The Chargers nearly pulled off an improbable comeback but ultimately came up short, falling 9-8 to Apollo Ridge Viking in the first round of the postseason.
Trailing 9-1 after three innings, the Chargers dug deep and brought the bats to life in the final frames, mounting a late-inning rally that left fans on the edge of their seats. Despite scoring five runs in the top of the seventh and putting the tying run in scoring position, the Chargers couldn't complete the rally, ending their season with a hard-fought loss.
The game started with promise for the Chargers. They scratched across a run in the top of the first after a defensive miscue by Apollo Ridge, grabbing an early 1-0 lead. But the momentum quickly shifted when Mikaila Ditty launched a two-run homer over the left-field fence, putting the Vikings up 2-1.
Apollo Ridge broke things open in the third, plating seven runs on a mix of timely hitting and defensive miscues. An RBI double, two-run single, and a string of Viking hits, combined with two costly Charger errors, pushed the score to 9-1.
But, the Chargers refused to go down quietly. In the top of the seventh, the bats came alive. Julia Pinter and Kaylee Seskey each delivered RBI singles, and Sydney Trippe came up big with a two-run single of her own. A wild pitch allowed another run to score, bringing the Chargers within one.
Trippe was a standout, going 2-for-3 with three RBIs, helping spark the rally and keeping the Chargers within striking distance. Hummel, Pinter, and Trippe each collected two hits, while Ava Ciummo showed patience at the plate, drawing two of the Chargers' five walks.
On the mound, Camryn Hummel battled through six innings, surrendering nine runs—just five of them earned—on 10 hits, while walking three and striking out one. Despite the tough line, she kept her composure and held the Vikings scoreless after the explosive third inning.
While the scoreboard favored the Vikings in the end, the Chargers left it all on the field. Their seventh-inning rally was a testament to their resilience, and though it marked the end of their season, the fight they showed in their final at-bats won't soon be forgotten.
