Team huddles after scoring
The Aragon varsity softball team (9-8-1 overall) is now fourth in the Bay Division after an exciting 3-2 win over Capuchino (6-10 overall) on April 11.
After a runless first inning, Capuchino hit a home run over the left field fence to put the Mustangs up 1-0 at the top of the second. However, the Dons responded quickly, as senior pitcher Rae D’Amato hit a double to left field in the bottom of the inning. Then, with two outs, sophomore Elizabeth Magness got a base hit, bringing D’Amato in to score. The Dons went into the third inning tied 1-1 with the Mustangs.
Aragon managed to hold off the Mustangs in the third inning with the help of a diving catch in the outfield from senior Morgan Marburger. However, they too were unsuccessful on offense, and the game remained a tie going into the fourth inning.
Both Aragon and Capuchino pitched strong games, resulting in lots of strikeouts for both teams and many runless innings.
“The pitcher’s changeup was really good today and so we just kept talking to the girls about that pitch,” said head coach Liz Roscoe. “We told them what adjustments to make in the batter’s box and on the field so that they could be successful”.
With D’Amato on the mound, Aragon once again kept the Mustangs from scoring in the top of the fourth and fifth inning. Nonetheless, in the fifth inning the Dons were unable to capitalize off a hard hit double by Marburger which bounced off of the warning track in center field, and Aragon went into the sixth still tied 1-1.
The game intensified in the sixth inning, as a line drive double to right field and a base hit to center field put Capuchino runners on first and third. After a bunt got the bases loaded, the Mustangs hit the ball to senior Janelle Jee at shortstop who threw it to senior catcher Caroline Harger to get the force out at home plate. With the bases still loaded, Capuchino hit the ball to right field, bringing home a runner and increasing the Mustang’s lead to 2-1.
Marburger recovered the ball in left field, throwing it to Jee at shortstop who tagged a runner caught between second and third. Jee then threw the ball to Harger at the plate, who tagged a runner attempting to score in an inning-ending double play. Filled with adrenaline, Aragon went into the bottom of the sixth down by one, but determined to make a comeback.
The Dons did just that. After Harger got a base hit down the left line, Marburger hit a two-run home run which easily cleared the center field fence.
“Hitting the home run felt really great,” Marbuger said. “Softball definitely can be mentally draining when you aren’t hitting very well. Throughout the season I did have a rough start with hitting, but that home run definitely gave me a lot more confidence in myself”.
With spirits high, the Dons went into the last inning up by one and determined to end with a victory. They managed to hold off the Mustangs in the top of the seventh, and won the game 3-2.
“I’m feeling very excited and I’m very proud of the team,” Roscoe said. “They did an outstanding job all the way across the board.”
Sophomore Destiny Garcia credited Marburger for securing the win for Aragon.
“The sixth inning gave us the energy we needed to finish the game,” Garcia said.
“I think that we were inspired to do better after Morgan’s home run, and it just gave us a humongous burst of energy which carried us to the win.”
Destiny Garcia
Despite the win, the Dons know that there is still work to be done.
“I would like to improve on our energy at the beginning of the game,” Roscoe said. “We need to be more energetic on the fence and into the game instead of later so that we can jump ahead a little bit faster.”
Marburger agreed that the team needed to make improvements moving further into the season.
“I think that our communication should probably get better,” Marburger said. “With me playing outfield, it does get a little bit stressful trying to communicate with my middle infielders. It’s really important that we always have that pre-pitch softball IQ so that we can make sure that we’re throwing in the right places in order to execute our plays.”
Nevertheless, the team has grown significantly since the start of the season, and the Dons hope to continue improving and to increase their winning streak to three when they play Hillsdale next on April 16.
