The softball team defeated Parkway West 8-1 on Sep. 8 at home.
Coming out of a 6-3 loss from Eureka, senior Ali Sandler said that the team was looking to strengthen their motivation and team spirit.
“We thought we needed to get our energy up. [During the game] versus Eureka earlier that week it was down and we weren’t playing our best because no one really had enough energy. The focus going into that game was just keeping energy up no matter the outcome,” Sandler said.
The Falcons first made it onto the scoreboard in the third inning with two runs, adding on another four in the fifth.
Head coach Chad Jones said that one of the most pivotal moments came from senior Megan Tress’ hit due to the motivation it brought the team.
“Megan Tress got a big two out hit with the bases loaded. To get a hit with two outs is kind of big because it’s your last chance to score. It’s one of those situations that can be big either way. If the defense makes an out, they’re super excited and they have the momentum. We get the hit, it kind of gives us the momentum on that. So that was huge for us for sure,” Jones said.
While the Longhorns got close to scoring in the fourth inning, a throw from sophomore Elliotte Stevens and an out at home forced Parkway West to finish the inning without a run. Sandler said that the out was a major play in the game because it showed off the team’s fielding skills.
“What kept everyone in it was our right fielder Elliotte’s throw to home. That was a big defensive play we haven’t seen in a while, and so I think, with that, everyone’s energy got up really high and we were all like ‘yes, we can do it,’” Sandler said.
Defensively, Jones said that he thinks the team has been very strong this year, especially with sophomore Paige Bray at shortstop.
“I think our pitching is consistent in that they’re making people put the ball in play and we get consistent strikes. Our defense has, for the most part, been pretty solid. Our shortstop is, I think, one of the best defensive players in the area. She does a really good job there and our outfield has been playing pretty well,” Jones said.
The Longhorns started to get more hits near the end of the game, getting a run in the sixth inning. Junior Faith Roberts said that it was difficult to not let it affect the team’s performance. However, she said the Falcons continued to work together and focus on winning.
“I think the biggest challenge was once they started hitting us in the last couple innings. We just had to keep that competitive spirit up and not let that affect us. We had to just keep getting outs and making sure we were doing what we needed to do,” Roberts said. “I just remember zoning everything out and just locking in because with pitching, it’s easy to lose sight of that. You have to remember you’re not going to strike everybody out all the time and you have to rely on your teammates.”
With another two runs in the sixth, the final score was 8-1, becoming the team’s fifth win of the season. Sandler said that the team is working towards the Class 4 District 2 finals. For the last two years, the team has been the runner-up to Washington, but she said they’re looking to take home the title this year.
“Our goal is always to make it to the district finals. We’re in one of the hardest districts in the state in any class right now. We’ve lost the district for over two years against the same team so we’re just hoping to break that outcome,” Sandler said.
