As the umpire calls the final out to mark the end of the season, the Girls Varsity Softball team walked off of the field with their heads held high after an 11-2 loss to Ramona High School in the first round of the C.I.F. playoffs.
During the off season, the Lady Rams faced the challenge of bringing in eight new players onto the team. Going into the season, the girls suffered from lack of experience and team chemistry. However, they were able to fix these issues during practice and through bonding events.
“During practice we would work on our hitting in the batting cage,” Sophomore Bailee Weisz said. “We also had many team bonding events, something we did not do last year.”
The girls got off to a decent start in the preseason, posting a record of 5-3. They dominated their first two games, defeating Rowland 9-2 on March 3 and Village Christian 11-1 on March 5. However, the Lady Rams hit a bump in the road and lost to Arcadia 6-1. The girls bounced back and beat Flintridge Sacred Heart 17-6.
The Lady Rams suffered two consecutive losses against La Salle, getting shut out 8-0 on March 8 and then losing 8-3 on March 11. The team was able to turn things around and destroyed Rosemead on March 13, scoring 20 runs on 17 hits and posting a .436 batting average while limiting the Lady Panthers to three runs.
The Lady Rams began Rio Hondo League play on March 18 with an 8-3 victory against South Pasadena. The team was shut out by the Monrovia Lady Wildcats on March 25 while allowing two runs on six hits. The Lady Rams lost again, this time to San Marino on March 27. The Lady Rams jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the third inning and led 4-1 in the sixth inning, but lost by a final score of 6-4 and failed to fend off a Lady Titan rally after surrendering five runs in the seventh and final inning.
The Lady Rams took a break from league play over spring break with a doubleheader against Mira Costa on April 12. The Lady Rams won the first game by a score of 4-3. The Lady Rams rallied after trailing most of the game and scored four runs in the sixth inning. However, the team lost the second game 13-10. The Lady Rams put up a valiant effort with 16 hits, but could not match Mira Costa’s 18, which proved to be the difference.
The team continued league play with a doubleheader against La Cañada on April 16. The Lady Rams lost the first game 4-1, their third in a row in league. The Lady Rams won the second game by a score of 5-1, allowing only five hits compared to their 13. The Lady Rams lost to Monrovia on April 18 by a score of 4-2, but bounced back with a 3-2 victory against San Marino on April 22. The team extended their winning streak with a dominant victory over South Pasadena on April 29. The Lady Rams shut out the Lady Tigers and scored 10 runs on 11 hits.
The team’s two game winning streak turned into a two game losing streak with losses against La Cañada and Monrovia. The Lady Rams lost to the Lady Spartans by a score of 7-3 on May 2 and were shut out by the Lady Wildcats on May 7. The team ended league play on a high note with a victory against San Marino, finalizing their league record at 5-6 and placing them third in the league.
“We are pretty pleased with our record,” Weisz said. “We played very well against the top teams in the league, but we could have played better against the other teams.”
The Lady Rams will have to find a way to replace seven seniors, two of which were pitchers, this off season. For a second year in a row, they will have to deal with inexperience. The team will not only be losing the talent of these players, but their leadership qualities as well. The Lady Rams only have one junior on its roster this season, meaning that many players who are underclassmen this year will have to step up and take a leadership role next year.