19-05-2025
St. John's regroups in time to three-peat as DCSAA softball champions
Two weeks ago, the St. John's softball team felt deflated. The Cadets, always a strong contender in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference, were handed a one-run, extra-innings loss by Paul VI in the conference quarterfinals. Their hopes for a deep playoff run dashed, Coach Diane Romo-Thomas's team needed to regroup quickly in order to chase a three-peat in the D.C. State Athletic Association tournament.
Two weeks later, St. John's stands triumphantly atop the D.C. softball scene once again. With a 6-2 win over National Cathedral Sunday at Nationals Youth Academy, the Cadets put their conference loss behind them to win their third consecutive DCSAA title in dominant fashion.
'It was a team effort, everybody had to play their part,' senior shortstop Yasmin Burrell said. 'If we didn't all play our part, we wouldn't have had the end result that we had today.'
With a roster that blends senior leadership and young talent, St. John's (14-8) used a complete game from freshman pitcher Chloe Armiger and a strong hitting day from the Cadets' seven-senior lineup to pick up a wire-to-wire victory. Armiger allowed just five hits, while St. John's scored four runs in the bottom of the first inning to keep a strong National Cathedral (12-5) team at arm's length for the rest of the game.
'It feels really good. National Cathedral is a really good competitor — very good team, very good pitching,' Romo-Thomas said. '[We jumped] out in that first inning, getting some key hits… and that little freshman on the mound really kept it together.'
To heal from their quarterfinal loss to the Panthers in early May, the Cadets started by dropping their gloves and bats. Following the advice of assistant coach Harry Thomas, St. John's didn't play a second of softball at their next practice. Instead, the group opted to perform team bonding exercises, which included players pushing softballs across the turf with their heads and performing piggyback races.
'It just made us closer as a team and it helped us have more fun on the softball field,' Burrell said. 'We were just having fun and being kids.'
'It's a game… you can't live and die on it, life goes on,' Thomas said. 'I had to bring them back to Earth.'
The Cadets didn't lose again for the rest of their season. They kicked off their DCSAA tournament bid with a 17-2 win over Sidwell Friends before blanking Georgetown Day, 15-0, the following day to reach the state final once again. The Cadets walked onto the field for Sunday's game with determined looks and left it with wide smiles after leading for the entire game and denying any Eagles surge.
Sophomore Lauren Willenbucher started the run for St. John's in the first inning, driving in two runners with a single that rolled into center field. Freshman Daniela Rochac found the same center field grass in the ensuing at-bat to score another runner before sophomore Maya Cordone capped the inning with a sacrifice fly to left field.
In the pitching circle, Armiger worked herself out of jams in the fourth and sixth innings to keep a hot-hitting Eagles team at bay. With senior leaders Burrell and Devyn Johnson urging her on from the infield, the freshman pitcher forced a pop fly that landed softly in first baseman Logan Brooks's glove for the title-sealing out.
Seconds later, the Cadets had converged on Armiger and the party was on.
'It's cool because we can still continue it,' Armiger said. '[Hopefully] we can make it a four-peat or a five-peat and just be a part of the culture and the success.'
