Softball (0-0) won 15-7 in its home game against La Quinta High on Feb. 25. The Bulldogs’ next game will be against Estancia High on March 12. The first league game will take place on March 24 against Woodbridge High at Bill Barber.
The Bulldogs scored nine runs in the first inning, leading with a score of 9-0. The team went through the lineup twice, with approximately 13 batters compared to the typical five, according to team captain, catcher and senior Madison Robbins.
“We had the opportunity to make mistakes on the field,” Robbins said. “Not being afraid of mistakes is always helpful because when you’re afraid during a game, you’re [going to] tense up and get nervous, and honestly you’re more likely to make errors.”
Head coach Kevin Gough said there were notable plays by sophomore and utility players Elsa Tian and Jayden Gregor with their pitches. Robbins said that the repeated pitching practices and the athletes’ hard work contributed to Tian and Gregor’s standout performance.
“It comes back to the love of the game,” Robbins said. “You can tell they want to be there and want to work hard for our team.”
By the third inning, the score was 10-4, followed by 10-7 at the start of the fifth inning. Notable plays by Robbins delivered two hits and one walk, while catcher and freshman Evelyn Shin scored a 4-for-5 in the first inning. Shin’s play contributed to the momentum of the game and encouraged all the team members, according to Robbins.
“I think I was really glad those hits came into play and my bats were working,” Shin said. “I’ve been working on trying to consistently hit the ball for a while, and seeing my practice finally [showing] up in a game was a really good feeling.”
As the game progressed, a challenge the Bulldogs faced was to recover from the second and subsequent innings as the team struggled to score runs, according to Shin. Shin said that this recovery process required perseverance throughout the game.
Shin said the game turned in their favor because of “the ways we [were] able to execute our play, work our fundamentals and make as few errors as we can.”
Robbins said that the first inning’s resulting lead and stability with hitting and pitching throughout the game largely contributed to the win, along with the team’s confidence and competitive mindset. For improvement, Gough said the team will practice pitching with extra repetitions and a pitching coach, and Robbins said she has suggested live situations for future practices, with a full defense and runners. A main goal for the season is improvement, according to Robbins.
“We don’t have to be perfect in every game, but get a little bit better every day,” Robbins said.
