Varsity Softball Dominates BB&N 3-1
Courtesy of Brian Muldoon
By JINMIN LEE and FORREST ZENG
On Saturday, April 27, at the Buckingham Browne & Nichols School (BB&N) field, Exeter’s girls varsity softball team made great pitches, batted strongly, and dominated BB&N with a 3-1 victory.
“Score-wise, it was a close game. We had a few good defensive plays, and our offense took a little bit of time,” head coach Jennifer Boyden said. “It was a good experience with good coaches and good players. I like games like that that are just clean and have good sportsmanship.”
“It was a pretty even matchup,” lower Paris Tran said. “At the beginning, it wasn’t tough, but it was very clear that the other team knew what they were doing. They were just catching up the speed, and at some point we were down by one. Eventually, we ended up winning.”
The game involved on-the-spot strategic planning. Tran reflected, “In the middle of the match, we noticed that their defense was pretty strong, so we began to hit the ball in certain gaps or play short, explosive offense; we lay some bunts down, and it worked once we noticed that like their third and first baseman were a little sloppy.”
“The two captains, Haley Alden and Carolie Ciaschini, were super supportive in executing our changing strategy,” Tran continued. “They pumped us up the whole way. I felt confident because Caroline played shortstop, which is the commander of the field. She told us where to go, showed us where the plays were going, and made sure to keep us alive throughout the whole game. Haley was a spectacular pitcher. She controlled the game and kept us calm.
Boyden agreed, saying, “Haley was certainly in control of the game, so I don’t think it was tense on our side defensively. But there are also some other plays I want to highlight. Paige had a home run to dead center, so that was good ‘cause that hadn’t happened yet this season. That’s probably the highlight of the game.”
“I’m also proud that Reagan stepped into Haley’s position as a pitcher after we got a sufficient lead in the game,” Tran recalled. “But I think we could have done a better job at supporting her too.”
The softball team put in lots of preparation and training since the beginning of the season. “Although this is my first season coaching at Exeter,” Boyden explained. “I think we’re on a good system. We’re lifting twice a week and any other days that we have the opportunity. We get outside often and do a lot of defensive work, which paid off.”
“The training for the game has been pretty intensive lately,” lower Natalie Sherman said. “We have been leading up the next few weeks, where we have multiple double-headers.”
This year, the team has a significant number of lowerclassmen who will likely play for multiple years. “There’s three seniors and only one junior, and there are a lot of younger players,” Boyden said. “They are learning a lot. The future is bright too, since they’ll be around for a while.”
Sherman commented on the team’s spirit. “Our team is extremely tight knit,” she said. “The captains make it feel like a family, and I love each and every person on our team. We have a great dynamic.”
The team is looking forward to difficult upcoming matches. “We are looking at a difficult rest of the season. We are going against some teams that are undefeated, so it’s going to be a tough stretch,” Boyden concluded. “There’s a lot of positive softball that’s gonna come out of this team for the rest of the season and then also for the next few years.”
