Purcellville, Va. — Coming off a Cinderella run in 2025, the Tuscarora High School softball team was looking to double down in 2026.
Returning a solid core of starters, including sophomore ace Peyton Travis, the Huskies made quick work of the Dulles District—finishing 7-0—before turning their attention to the VHSL Region 4C tournament.
In region play, No. 1 Tuscarora shut out No. 8 Dominion, 6-0, on June 1 before an offensive explosion pushed the Huskies past the No. 4 Loudoun County Captains, 11-3, on June 2, setting up a primetime matchup with perennial state contender Woodgrove for the region championship on June 4.
In the VHSL Region 4C Championship, the Huskies jumped on the board early, taking a 5-0 lead into the fourth, but the Wolverines responded before eventually tying the score at 6-6 thanks to a three-run seventh.
However, Tuscarora had an answer of their own when 2025 VHSL Class 4 State Player of the Year Chloe Wools blasted a walkoff home run to claim the Huskies’ second straight region title, 8-6.
“Last year, we didn’t go into the season with the expectation of winning [the state championship],” Tuscarora junior second baseman Whitney O’Neill said. “This year, we felt like we had a great team. We just continued to prove ourselves throughout the season.”
With the region title secured, Tuscarora escaped Region 4D runner-up Jefferson Forest, 6-5, in a VHSL Class 4 State semifinal, before knocking off Region B2 runner-up Patrick Henry, 5-1, on June 12, punching their return ticket to the VHSL Class 4 State championship game.
“A lot of this game comes down to the mental side. The amount of work they put in mentally was huge,” Tuscarora head coach Bridget Kemp said. “At this point in the season, everyone is talented, so it’s about how well you can handle the adversity when it pops up.”
After last year’s state title bout took Tuscarora down to Charlottesville, the Huskies got to “host” the 2026 state championship game down the road in Purcellville.
Despite the familiar territory and friendly crowd, it took the Huskies’ offense a few innings to settle in. Gloucester junior starter Autumn Cookson struck out six of the first eight batters she faced, allowing just one walk through the first three innings. However, with two outs in the third, a double off the bat of Tuscarora sophomore shortstop Anna Hurst energized the Tuscarora dugout.
The Dukes issued a free pass to Wools as O’Neill stepped up to the plate. On a 2-2 pitch, O’Neill delivered, hammering a line drive to left, scoring Hurst and Wools to give the Huskies a 2-0 lead.
“Our theme this year has been ‘own your space, stay on your feet, and just touch first base;’ we didn’t want to make anything bigger than it needed to be,” Kemp said. “We don’t need to go up there and swing the fence, just go up there and do your job. Having been in this position last year, allowed us to have that mental toughness and not be bothered in those pressure situations.”
Tuscarora senior first baseman Paige Hahn then singled to left to score O’Neill as the Huskies used a two-out rally to take a 3-0 lead after the third.
In the top of the fourth, Travis made her only real mistake of the game, on a throwing error following a bunt, allowing Gloucester senior centerfielder Hannah Horsley to get to second. Freshman third baseman Winnie Carlton drove Horsley in on a single, before Travis struck out the next two Dukes to end the inning.
“Having pitched in the state championship last year, there was a lot of talk about Peyton because of her performance and how she plays,” Kemp said. “Come to find out, the scouting report against her was to bunt and get in her head, but she put in so much work to not let that affect her.”
Tuscarora wasted a leadoff single by senior catcher Makenzie Fries in the fourth, before Travis set the Dukes down in order in the top half of the fifth.
With the top of the lineup due up, Tuscarora looked to add some insurance in the home half of the fifth, but back-to-back flyouts put the Huskies’ backs against the wall.
But like she did in the third, O’Neill had an answer, smoking a groundball down the left field line for a double to start a rally. On an 0-2 pitch, Hahn plated O’Neill with a single before senior third baseman Keira O’Malley doubled to left to score Hahn, extending the Huskies lead to 5-1. For good measure, Fries drove in O’Malley to put the Huskies up 6-1, heading into the top of the sixth.
“Everyone is so supportive of each other and wants to compete for each other,” O’Neill said. “We celebrate each others’ successes, and we just want to win for each other.”
Travis got two quick outs in the six, before Horsley fouled off a 3-2 pitch before drawing a walk. Carlton then reached on an error before Gloucester senior right fielder Alexis Dishman fouled off two 3-2 pitches before drawing a walk to load the bases.
Having been in this moment before, Travis never wavered as she struck out the next batter, looking to escape the bases load jam.
A quick home half, meant the Huskies were just three outs away from repeating as state champs. Travis struck out the 8 and 9 hitters before inducing a flyball to center, where Wools hauled it in to secure their second consecutive VHSL Class 4 State title, 6-1.
“Last year was so surreal then to come back and do it again with a similar group this year is still so surreal. We were pretty confident we could make another [championship]run, our girls put in a lot of hard work, and they made it happen,” Kemp said. “This is such a special group, who worked hard to establish this culture. These seniors will be tremendously missed as they truly were the leaders, helping us get back to this point.”