The Aragon softball team (1-0 overall) defeated Terra Nova (0-2 overall) 17-0 in just four innings. After scoring 11 runs in the fourth inning and extending the lead to 17-0, the game ended by mercy rule, which applies to a lead of 15 after three innings or 10 after five.
Freshman catcher and third batter Olivia Dinardo contributed to the Dons blowout win with three runs and two hits.
“She was outstanding. She is our catcher, number three hitter and she had a great play. She had a grand slam, triple and a homer,” said head coach Roger Miller.
“I think that I did my part for the team and tried to help with getting the win today,” Dinardo said. “I think the team did a lot of the work too. We just put everything together of what we were working on during practice and made it the best we could.”
Dinardo also excelled on the defensive end with nine putouts out of 10 attempts. The Dons were also very efficient, forcing 12 putouts out of 15 total chances.
Offensively, the Dons were able to spread the scoring across their roster, with four players scoring three runs and two players scoring two.
In light of their 17-0 blowout, junior center field Shannon Galliano believes that the Dons have unleashed potential.
“As a team, we haven’t even skimmed the top. We could be really good, so I think we will make it far in CCS,” Galliano said.
Having tucked their first win under their belt, the Dons have high expectations for the postseason.
“All of the players are really good. They’re all super skilled, and they have something that they can specifically bring on to the team”
“I think there’s a lot of good things to come. After we get everybody back [from winter sports] … we can start putting the whole piece together,” Miller said.
When Miller became the head coach in the 2018 season, he changed the style and practices, but the environment as a team stayed the same. Miller was the head coach at Notre Dame high school for four years before he came to Aragon. When Miller began his career at Aragon, he was adamant about integrating a junior varsity program for softball, which was disbanded in 2016, but reinstated two years later when Miller became the coach.
This year is assistant coach Trisha Davidson’s first year as a high school coach. Davidson coached competitive softball in Foster City before she started coaching at Aragon.
“I love it — they’re so much fun. They are a really great group of girls, personality wise and talent wise,” Davidson said. The chemistry that the players have developed with their new coach facilitated their success early in the season.
Many of the players have adjusted to the new coaching style.
“It took a lot of adjustment because of the new coach, but overall I think we played well … We had to shift, but also the coaches had to adjust and learn the players. After the season went on, we all got used to it,” said senior pitcher Cassidy Trizuto.
In their 2018 season, the Dons lost in the first round of the Central Coast Section playoffs 11-7 against Ann Sobrato High. This year, the Dons have a more balanced team in terms of grade levels, with five underclassmen and eight upperclassmen.
“Our team is pretty much going to be the same, but with an additional couple of freshmen that are extremely talented,” said junior outfielder Elisa Jee.
Dinardo and freshman shortstop Megan Grant are two freshman who have greatly contributed to the varsity program. Grant has verbally committed to the University of California, Los Angeles for softball.
Due to the amount of rain in recent weeks, the team has been unable to practice on the outdoor field. Instead of taking days off, the players go into the conditioning room where they practice and do drills, along with hitting practices on the weekends. Since softball is a spring sport, rain conflicting with practice and game times has been a recurring issue.
“The biggest issue we had last year wasn’t specifically involved in our team, but just a lot of our games got rained out last year. So for half the season we had one game per week, and then the other half we had four, it was a lot,” Jee said.
“As a team, we haven’t even skimmed the top. We could be really good, so I think we will make it far in CCS”
Despite the unusual practice schedule and locations, Davidson feels that these factors had little to no effect on in game performance.
“It made it harder to prepare, because there’s not facility space here all the time, so I think that was a contributing factor,” Davidson said. “But these girls are so talented it didn’t really hinder them at all.”
As with many sports, the softball team suffered from injuries. Last season, Trizuto played as much as she could despite her back injury from pitching.
“It came from pitching and the only thing that would make it act up was pitching … I think that was probably the hardest part of last year,” Trizuto said.
In spite of their schedule changes and injuries, the team utilized their free time for team bonding activities outside of practice. The time spent together helped boost team chemistry and communication.
“I think we had a lot of moments where we were able to bond off the field, and then that transferred over and helped us on the field because we were able to communicate better,” Trizuto said.
With talent and a new mindset, the Dons are looking to extend their postseason run beyond their accomplishments in the 2018 season.
“A lot of us are super excited. We have a lot of good players this year, “Jee said. “This year, I think literally all of the players are really good. They’re all super skilled, and they have something that they can specifically bring on to the team.”
