After finishing third in the Rio Hondo League last season and suffering an early second round exit in the C.I.F. playoffs, the Girls Varsity Softball team hopes to finish on top of league standings and go deeper into the playoffs this year. The Lady Rams started the season off slow, losing their first three games, but picked their play up and finished the preseason with a 4-4 record.
The team lost their season opener at West Covina on Feb. 29 by a narrow margin of 6-5. The Lady Rams held the lead in the middle of the sixth, but surrendered two runs in the bottom of the inning, which proved to be the difference in the game.
After losing to Northview on March 1 by a score of 5-3, the girls nearly mounted a comeback against league rival La Cañada in a non-league tournament game on March 3. Trailing by four runs in the sixth, the Lady Rams scored three runs in the bottom of the inning, but were unable to reach home plate in the seventh and final inning to tie or take the lead.
“As we got closer to league, we started taking the entire season more seriously,” Sophomore Hailey Fawk said. “We believe that we can win league this year. We stopped messing around and realized we needed to do better.”
After these tough first three losses, the team gained momentum in their season by claiming three strong victories. The girls dominated Monrovia, who finished above the Lady Rams in the league standing last season scoring in each of the first five innings, shutting out the Lady Wildcats 6-0. The team proceeded to defeat Alhambra on March 9 by a final score of 5-2, scoring four runs in the fifth inning.
The Lady Rams continued their hot streak and beat Arcadia 8-1 the next day. The team capitalized on five Lady Apache errors and held Arcadia to only three hits. However, their win streak ended on March 16 at home against Arroyo, losing the game by a final score of 15-0.
“We learned to work together during the preseason,” Senior Haley Mitchell said. We have a good shot at taking league and we want to go far in the C.I. F. playoffs.”
After losing only one starter from last season and with nine returning starters on the roster, the team has high expectations for this year. Both Seniors Celina Mesa and Angel Wintercorn, who shared pitching duties last season, will take the mound again this year. Mitchell, who batted .431 and committed to Eastern Illinois University last season, will be behind the plate and resume catching duties.
“For us seniors, it hits us when we all step on the field together,” Senior Jessica Slagle said. “The fact that we are all going to be leaving, it hits us hard because we are all family. However, our bond really helps motivates us to all play better for each other.”
The Lady Rams will have their second league game against San Marino on March 22.
“If we all work hard, we can take league,” Mesa said. “We need to stay up and have everything under control. We all need to come together and not slack off so we can play our game.”
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