Girls Varsity Softball Game Against Thayer
By Michael Yang, Claire Fu
Girls’ Varsity Softball won by a landslide in their first game in almost two years this past weekend. Captains and seniors Katie Moon and Annie Smaldone boosted morale while the team adapted to COVID restrictions, contributing to their 14-6 win against Thayer Academy.
This was despite the game being out of the ordinary—since Thayer’s baseball field was in use for outdoor dining, the girls were required to compete on a turf field. Upper Alana Reale noted another unique circumstance of this game. “Thayer’s pitcher had recently tested positive for COVID, so one of our pitchers stood in for her, and it ended up being more of a scrimmage than a real game,” Reale said.
Nonetheless, Moon highlighted the fast-paced competition environment. “During the actual game, we felt like we were very aggressive on the base path, and we were consistently able to move runners when we got them on,” Moon said.
Upper Riley Valashinas said, “we all wore masks, and we couldn’t all crowd around the fence during at-bats like we usually would. But I think we all kept the spirit in there! It was just nice to be able to have one ‘normal’ thing, even if it was a little different.”
Sustaining team spirit and motivation for this game was especially a priority for Big Red. “The team as a whole has so much positivity and enthusiasm that we all contribute something unique and important to the team,” Moon said.
Coach Jeffrey Ibbotson praised the team for carrying their energy to the game. “It was a great experience! A beautiful day outside (even with the near constant trains going by). The team played well and dealt with all the changes with grace,” Ibbotson said.
Reflecting on their play, Moon felt excited to continue working and refining skills with the team. “I think we are finding what works for us as a team because we have been putting in a lot of hard work at practice and have been working on team bonding outside of practice, so we can connect on and off the field,” Moon said.
Reale similarly highlighted the team’s hopes to continue growing stronger. “As a team, we’re getting much better at communicating and listening to each other, and learning how to complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses,” Reale said.
Valashinas credited the team’s triumph to their practices, sharing the team’s focus on the basics and Coach Liz Hurley’s incorporation of efficiency into practices. “That push for efficiency really helped us stay focused during the game and also made sure we had time to get to a little bit of everything before our first game,” Valashinas said. “We expected to have a bit of a learning curve in the first few games, and there are definitely things we can work on as a team, but I think we were all just really excited to get back to playing softball and that energy carried us through a great first game.”
With their first game a resounding success, Girls’ Varsity Softball has a promising season ahead, and look forward to their next game against The New Hampton School.
