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When Kourtney Salvarola struck out the final batter in Friday's Class 4A East regional championship against Chesapeake-Anne Arundel, the top-ranked Broadneck girls softball team gathered at home plate and chanted in unison, "Win it for Coach Ware." The 8-2 victory over the visiting Cougars was huge for Broadneck's program. Not only did the Bruins end two consecutive years of the frustration of losing to Chesapeake in the regional final, but they also were able to dedicate a monumental win to their late coach, Jim Ware, who died over the summer at the age of 62. Bruins coach Reese Kiple, who served as Ware's assistant, was almost overcome with emotion after the teams finished shaking hands.

John Joseph "Jack" Russell Jr., a recovering alcoholic who established a delivery service employing other alcoholics to help them get back into the work force, died Friday at Johns Hopkins Hospital. The Abingdon resident was 72. Mr. Russell, who was born and raised in the Bronx, N.Y., was a graduate of St. Luke's Parochial School. He worked as a longshoreman in New York City for United States Lines before moving to Baltimore in 1970, when he took a job as a container supervisor for Maersk Lines at Dundalk Marine Terminal.

COLLEGE PARK -- It's safe to say junior pitcher Lauren Gibson and the Chesapeake-Anne Arundel softball team have the Class 4A state championship game all figured out. For the second straight year, Gibson threw a no-hitter in the season's biggest game, leading the No. 2 Cougars to a 7-0 victory over Sherwood of Montgomery County last night at the University of Maryland. Erika Stasch went 3-for-4 with two triples and five RBIs for Chesapeake, which closed out its season with a 24-2 record and captured the program's seventh state championship.

A sloppy first half in last night's Class 2A-1A state championship game - poor passing, miscommunications and an offense that produced just one goal - challenged Glenelg boys lacrosse coach Josh Hatmaker to find a way to calm his team down. The pressure of a bid for a second consecutive state title and the maintenance of an undefeated season burdened the No. 6 Gladiators against Southern-Anne Arundel at UMBC. But Glenelg finally took control in the second half and pulled away for a 7-4 victory.

Chesapeake-Anne Arundel second baseman Kelly Hickman has found her home run swing, and it couldn't have come at a better time. In yesterday's Class 4A East regional title game against second-ranked Broadneck, the junior smashed a three-run homer over the fence in left field, highlighting a five-run third inning that sent the No. 3 Cougars to a 10-6 win over their county rivals. For the second year in a row, the defending state champ Cougars (22-2) lost to the Bruins in the regular season and the Anne Arundel County championship game before winning when it counted the most.

Yesterday's Class 4A East regional softball semifinal between visiting Arundel and Chesapeake-Anne Arundel was scoreless through five innings. One swing from Chesapeake's Kelly Hickman changed that. The junior second baseman pulled a two-run homer to left field in the sixth, which propelled the No. 3 and defending state champion Cougars to a 3-0 win. The Cougars (20-2) will host Broadneck - a 9-0 winner over Glen Burnie in yesterday's other semifinal - at 4 p.m. in a rematch of last year's regional championship and this year's Anne Arundel County championship, won by the Bruins, 4-2. "It was an inside pitch, and I just turned on it. ... I came around second base with a big smile because I was so excited.

The No. 2 Chesapeake-AA softball team scored an unearned run in the top of the first inning yesterday at Anne Arundel rival No. 5 Northeast and then turned the game over to junior pitcher Lauren Gibson. Last year's Metro Player of the Year was in playoff-like form, and it was necessary in outdueling Northeast junior Heather Brown and leading the Cougars to a 1-0 win. Gibson scattered three hits, working her way out of a tough situation in the bottom of the first inning, and finished with nine strikeouts.

Senior Micah Powell scored a game-high three goals to power host Catonsville past Centennial, 16-8, yesterday in boys lacrosse. Matt Reymann added two goals and four assists and Ben Cohee had a goal and four assists for the Comets (8-3). Catonsville took a 10-4 lead at the half and was never threatened. Softball No. 2 Chesapeake-AA 12, Meade 0 -- Right-hander Nikki Mantheiy (6-0) threw a perfect game to earn her fourth shutout of the season for the Cougars (14-1). Mantheiy had 11 strikeouts in five innings and went 2-for-4 with three runs scored, a double and an RBI. No. 4 Hammond 6, Wilde Lake 3 -- Stephanie Speireman had 20 strikeouts as the Golden Bears (12-2)

No. 1 Chesapeake-Anne Arundel and No. 2 Broadneck didn't waste any time renewing their softball rivalry, meeting on the season's first day yesterday. The Cougars, the defending Class 4A champions who had the final word last year against the Bruins in the East regional title game, picked up where they left off with an 8-2 win in the opener of the Anne Arundel Easter Classic at Severna Park. Junior pitcher Lauren Gibson, last year's Metro Player of the Year, struck out 11 and allowed four hits to get the win. At the plate, she walked four times and scored three runs.

Fallston junior Eric Croucher understands that his role as a forward for the No. 5 Cougars is to pounce on any opportunity in front of his opponent's goal and then do whatever he can to help the team's stout defense lock down the game. Yesterday, Croucher answered the call by scoring two goals in the Cougars' 3-0 nonconference victory over No. 14 Eastern Tech. "I haven't scored in the past few games, so I really wanted to help the team out," said Croucher, who has three goals this season.