Girls’ Softball Triumphant Over Tilton
After a stormy weekend filled with drenched fields and a cancelled match against Dana Hall School, Big Red’s varsity softball team had the chance to step on the diamond for the first time this season on Wednesday, defeating Tilton 7-3.
Since the first day of practice, the squad has emphasized the importance of control. “We work hard to control what we can and don’t stress the things we can’t change,” upper Lauren Fidelak said. Big Red did just that in its season opener, coming out with big bats and a strong outfield.
Co-captain and senior Courtney Gibeley described the game’s success. “This week everyone came out to play and did an amazing job. I think we started strong and finished strong. Also, we definitely did a good job at bat. Everyone was hitting,” she said.
Similarly, Fidelak spoke of the girls’ stacked lineup and resilient work ethic which was quickly evident in the game against Tilton. Lower Menat Bahnasy also mentioned that in the past years, the team hadn’t done well versus Tilton, so it was “a nice feeling to beat them.”
Coming off a strong win, the girls struggled to find their groove on Friday against the Noble & Greenough school, and reasonably so, considering that Nobles arrived an hour after the initial start time. The delay forced the girls to wait two hours in 30-degree weather and then get cut short with their last at bat due to Hatch Field turning off the lights at 8:00 p.m.
When asked how it felt to play on the turf rather than the team’s usual grass, Fidelak described it as “interesting” due to the field’s smaller size, consequently making it easier to score home runs. Gibeley also said that “Everyone was loud and supporting one another. We were all hustling and working hard. It was absolutely freezing outside, but that didn’t stop any of us.”
Bahnasy and Gibeley adamantly expressed that Nobles would have been “a whole ’nother ball game” if they had gotten those last few minutes back or played on their typical field. Fidelak explained how the 3-10 loss was not an accurate representation of their play, given that Nobles got a late grand slam that would not have gone out on the normal diamond. Looking to the future, Fidelak spoke of their concentration on limiting defensive errors, working out minor issues after their first two games.
The team got even more playing time the following day, scrimmaging against Kingswood High School. Bahnasy noted that the scrimmage was a great opportunity to test several strategies, as well as learn about the team as a whole. A tight and defensively demanding game, the girls lost 2-3. “Our bats were just dead and we couldn’t seem to get the offense going,” Fidelak said.
Bahnasy called the team chemistry “awesome,” as players are working well together and getting to know each other better day by day. Each week, the girls are assigned a buddy with whom to connect, and as a result, Bahnasy believes it has enhanced the girls’ style of play.
After a fairly eventful week filled with games of varying success, Gibeley concluded with an optimistic note. “I’m very pleased with our performance this week. Of course there are things we can work on—there always will be—but it’s only our first few games. We still did a great job. I’m excited to see many more wins this season,” she said.