Outfielder Mackenzie Hawk ran for the shallow line drive that was hit and made the dive to catch it and got the team out of the first inning, but it was not enough to save the game.  

The varsity softball team had a 9-6 loss against University on April 14 at home. The team was led by pitcher Rachel Matthiesen who ran two out of the four times at bat, and had two runs batted in. Along with outfielder Addison Orr who also ran two out of the four times at bat, one RBI, and a triple to right field. 

“The biggest challenge against University was making plays,” pitcher Ella Verne said. “They were a good hitting team and knew where to hit it to score their runs in.”

Despite the challenges from the opponent and a lightning delay, the team still felt confident going into the game, noting their opponents strengths in hitting, they came together and maintained good energy throughout the game. 

“I feel like we were very focused during warmups while still having fun,” catcher Bennett Duba said. “We were loud in the dugout and on the field for the whole game and the bench was there and present when we needed them.”

Coming from a 1-0 loss against Melbourne, the team had been preparing with practices whatever days a game was not scheduled. Their practices include hitting off of pitching the machine to prepare for fast pitchers. 

“We were pretty confident about how we were going to play but after our loss on Wednesday we were still working on stuff,” Orr said. “I think we did a good job though.” 

Despite the loss, the girls will continue to prepare for their next game against Space Coast at Titusville. Game time is at 6 p.m. and tickets can be found on gofan.com. 

“I definitely think our biggest strength is the way we come back from being down, we do not give up and it’s a key part of winning games,” Duba said.