The softball team was devastated by the Woodside Wildcats 15-1 on Tuesday afternoon.
The Bears got off to a tough start as junior pitcher Elise Koo struggled to throw strikes and M-A’s defense allowed two runs. In the bottom of the inning, the Bears’ best chance happened late when sophomore center fielder Emma Loose hit a ground ball but got out at first. M-A failed to score, closing the inning with a 2-0 deficit.
The second inning opened with a quick fly out. Koo managed to throw two strikes, but a single from a Wildcat slowed the Bears’ momentum. A dropped ground ball let a Woodside batter slip by, and another walk loaded the bases for the Wildcats. Two Wildcats reached home plate off a line drive, putting the score at 4-0 for Woodside. After a fly out, freshman right fielder Eliana Clapp nearly caught a deep drive to center field, but it bounced out of her glove, giving two Woodside players enough time to run home.
Three walks gave Woodside another run to push the score to 7-0. Loose caught a fly ball to close out the top of the inning on a high note.
The Bears began the bottom stronger, with junior catcher Kylie Cox hammering a single and reaching second on a ground out by junior shortstop Carey Maletis. A foul and a single from freshman first baseman Olivia Rodgers gave Cox enough time to move to third and score, raising the tally to 7-1 for the Wildcats. Senior left fielder Faith Schubin and Clapp both struck out swinging to close the inning.
Sophomore shortstop Gracy Nava caught a line out to start the third inning. Koo struggled to control the ball, letting three batters walk. Nava replaced her on the mound but allowed a single and a double, putting the score at 10-1 Wildcats. She found her rhythm though, striking out the next batter. Loose threw a ground ball to first for a quick out and an end to the top of the third.
The bottom of the third had potential for the Bears: Koo, after multiple consecutive fouls on full count, walked, and Nava smashed a single into left field. However, it didn’t materialize, as sophomore third baseman Juliana Pandolfo hit a fly out and both Loose and Cox were tagged out at first base, forcing the inning to end.
The Wildcats started the fourth inning hot. The first batter walked and the next hit a home run, increasing Woodside’s lead to 12-1. A hit-by-pitch put a Wildcat on first and a ground ball to left field put another on base. Rodgers took advantage of a single and tagged out a Woodside player, leaving only two on base.
Koo caught a fly ball for the inning’s second out, but a line drive put the score at 13-1 and ended M-A’s successful defensive streak. Another hit was barely missed by Maletis, allowing a Wildcat to slide past home plate, but Pandolfo was able to tag out a Wildcat to close the top of the inning. The bottom of the inning flew by, with three consecutive outs for the Bears, keeping the score at 14-1 for the Wildcats.
The rain picked up at the top of the fifth inning, and the umpire briefly paused the game to wait out the weather. Nava loaded the bases but managed to strike out a Wildcat, and junior second baseman Lea Martinez threw another out at home plate. M-A gave up a run before Schubin caught a fly ball to close out the top of the inning 15-1. Despite two players reaching base, the Bears went scoreless in the bottom of the inning, and the game ended early on a mercy rule.
“It was a rough game, to say the least,” Pandolfo said. “The weather definitely threw us off a bit, and we weren’t really able to come back. I think it’s an experience to learn from.”
“We were just trying to attack it head on,” Martinez said. “They’re definitely one of our bigger games of the year.”
“I think we made too many errors, but I did like the energy we had, and we had a couple of really good plays. Emma had a really good throw to third, and Gracie, when she was playing short-stop, had a really good jumping catch,” Cox said.
The Bears will face the Notre Dame Tigers at home next Tuesday at 4 p.m.
