The varsity softball team claimed their victory against Lakeview Centennial on Feb. 22 at Scot Softball Field.
At first, the outlook was not bright for the game. The weather set spectators on edge with temperatures in the mid 30s and shivering 13 mph winds. Morale was low.
“That game was kind of miserable, actually, just because of how cold it was,” sophomore Audrey Schedler said. “Normally the games are a lot better.”
The first inning started off with the visiting Lakeview up to bat. The first batter racked up two strikes before contact was made. She reached first base after a failed throw to junior and pitcher Maggie Jordan. The second batter struck out, giving Lakeview its first out.
After her first hit, the next batter made it to home plate, giving one point to the visitors, followed by another run. Outfielder Ava White, a senior, ended the first half of the inning by tagging out a runner.
The 80s pop hit “Take On Me” played as sophomore Campbell Sharpe entered the batting box. Sharpe struck out and the team’s first out appeared on the scoreboard. Next was junior Megan Miller. Three balls were thrown before the first strike, but then she struck out and the team was given its second out.
The third batter, junior Reese Singleton, had one strike before she hit and made it to first base. During the turn of the next batter, junior Skylar Hammel, Singleton ran to home base, scoring the team’s first point, making the score 2-1.
After this high note for the team, sophomore Faith Horner and White batted, leading to an additional two runs.
The second inning began with the score at 2-3. Lakeview started off with two base hits. A runner was tagged out, giving Lakeview its first out of the second inning. With the bases loaded, Lakeview scored three runs and the batter made a mad dash to first base as the next batter stepped up to the plate.
Another runner was tagged out, giving Lakeview its second out. Then Lakeview scored multiple times, making the score 9-3. The first half of the second inning ended with a final tag out.
Senior Shelby Pettit struck out, giving the team its first out of the second inning. Next up to bat was senior Olivia Jewell, who made contact on the first pitch and attempted to run to second base before being tagged out, bringing the total to two outs.
On the first pitch, Schedler hit the ball into the parking garage, which did not allow her to advance. After two strikes, the ball hit Lakeview’s catcher, causing the game to pause. It resumed shortly after, and Schedler got to first base.
With a runner on first, Sharpe stepped up to bat again. A powerful hit sent the ball all the way to the far end of the field, allowing Sharpe to run to third base. Schedler, who was on first, managed to make it home, making the score 9-4. The second inning ended with another out, and the third inning began.
The first of Lakeview’s batters had two strikes before making it to first. The next batters struck out. This was the turning point for the team.
“My favorite part of the game was the bottom of the third inning,” Singleton said. “We put up 10 runs and took the lead.”
The team’s batters took the score from 9-4 to 9-14 by the end of the inning.
“It started out slow for us, but we were able to turn it around,” Singleton said.
At this point, the game was not going in favor of Lakeview. They didn’t score any more points during the 4th inning, and at 8:34 p.m. the referee called an end to the game leaving the team with a win.
“This game proved that the team has a lot of drive, and we’re going to have a great season keeping that up,” Horner said.
