As anticipated, the championship game of the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference girls softball tournament was a close contest.
Top seed St. Paul VI Catholic Panthers battled it out with second-seeded and four-time defending champion Bishop O’Connell Knights. During the regular season, the high-school rivals had split two low-scoring, one-run games, the first in extra innings.
The May 9 tourney final at George Mason University was more of the same, with Paul VI winning, 3-1, to claim the title.
The loss snapped O’Connell’s 10-game winning streak this season, 14-game victory string in WCAC tournament action and gave the Knights a 15-4 overall record.
“We didn’t hit enough and make enough plays,” O’Connell coach Tony Uccellini told ARLnow. “We also gave them too many opportunities, and we didn’t capitalize on our opportunities.”
The Knights had just two hits — by Callie Lissenden and Gabrielle Morris. On defense, an infield error set up Paul VI’s first run that was unearned, and a walk led to another.
Number-nine hitter Callie DeVylder walked and scored O’Connell’s run with the help of a sacrifice bunt by Gigi Payne, followed by a fielding error.
The Panthers had six hits, including run-scoring doubles by starting and winning pitcher Faith Culligan and Maria Dozier.
Paul VI stranded 12 runners, made two defensive errors, walked three and hit a batter in a game that included eight walks total.
Right-hander Annie Van Dyck pitched a complete game with 10 strikeouts and five walks to take the loss for the Knights, throwing 149 pitches.
O’Connell has won the WCAC tournament 27 times during its history, and in 2026 was playing in the tournament final for the 23rd consecutive year.
“We earned the right to be here again this season,” Uccellini said.
O’Connell reached the final this season without standout starting shortstop and top hitter M.J. Melvin, a first-team all-state player in 2025. She missed the season with an injury. Starter Kate Fontenot also missed this year’s tournament with an injury.
O’Connell was 2-1 in this season’s tournament, defeating seventh-seed St. John’s, 9-1, in the quarterfinals, then blanked third-seed St. Mary’s Ryken, 2-0, in the semifinals. Each win came on O’Connell’s home field.
In the semis, Van Dyck threw a perfect game against Ryken. She struck out 15 in retiring all 21 batters in order, throwing 81 pitches.
Van Dyck struck out the first five batters she faced and eight of the first nine. She had a three-ball count on just one hitter, the leadoff batter in the seventh.
The seven-inning perfect game was Van Dyck’s first of the season. She will play Division 1 college softball at Binghamton University.
“She was dealing and throwing hard,” Uccellini said.
Against Ryken, O’Connell scored single runs in the bottom of the fourth and sixth innings. Marie Gagliano doubled in the fourth and Ashley Bond had an RBI groundout. In the sixth, the run scored as a result of Sydney Miller’s infield hit, a sacrifice bunt by Bond and DeVylder’s sacrifice fly.
O’Connell had seven hits, with DeVylder and Miller having two each. Miller also added a sacrifice bunt. Morris, Bond and Gianna Sloan also had hits, and Van Dyck was hit by a pitch.
“We knew Ryken wouldn’t lay down for us, and would play tough,” Uccellini said. “We have played close games with them for a number of years.”
The teams met in the past three WCAC championship games.
In the win over St. John’s, Van Dyck pitched a one-hitter and struck out 19 with four walks.
Bond led the offense with three hits and two RBI. Sloan, Gagliano and Payne doubled, Van Dyck had a hit and an RBI, Morris drove in a run and Lissenden had a sacrifice fly.
Next for O’Connell is this week’s Division I private-school state tournament. The 13-time defending champion is the third seed.
The Knights have won 39 straight state-tournament games and have won 29 state titles in program history.
