Finishing fifth in the Peninsula Athletic League, the softball team (15-12) qualified for the Central Coast Section playoffs. Hosting Ann Sobrato (15-11) in the first round on May 16, the Dons were quickly eliminated from the tournament, losing 11-7.
The Dons started the game up 3-0 at the end of the first inning. Junior pitcher Holly Fletcher, however, began struggling, giving up two runs in the first two innings.
From there, the Dons committed five errors in between the third and the fifth innings. These mistakes lead to a five-run third inning.
“It’s a constant thing for us,” said senior catcher Amanda Lovell. “We have one or two bad innings somewhere in the middle of the game.”
The Dons were forced to make an early pitching change, with junior pitcher Cassidy Trizuto replacing Fletcher in the third inning. Trizuto did not allow a run in two innings of work.
“I just try to focus on my different pitches and putting them to use,” Trizuto said. “Also, hitting the spots my catcher is giving me, in order to maximize each pitch.”
In the bottom of the fourth inning, Lovell scored to cut Ann Sobrato’s lead to 7-5, but it wasn’t enough to bring the Dons fully back into the game. The Bulldogs scored three runs in their half of the sixth, which proved insurmountable for the Dons.
“We have to work on giving up less runs when we get in a rut,” Lovell said. “We start strong, we shut them out, and then we let them score five or six runs and that’s what hurts our team.”
The Dons’ first season under new head coach Roger Miller ends with 15 wins and 12 losses and an elimination in the first round of CCS.
