The softball team defeated the Oakland Wildcats 15-0 in a three-inning game on Thursday afternoon. The Bears had outstanding batting averages and excelled on the bases, forcing the Wildcats to call the game early.
The first inning started with skillful deliveries by junior pitcher Gracy Nava, making it difficult for the Wildcats to make solid contact. Oakland’s first at-bat ended with a groundout to sophomore first baseman Olivia Rodgers, and the Bears quickly collected the Wildcats’ next hit for another easy out.
Although Oakland got one batter to first base when a full count ended in a walk, junior second baseman Juliana Pandolfo caught a fly ball to send M-A to bat.
The Bears’ momentum didn’t falter as they moved to offense. After Nava got walked, she took advantage of missed catches by the Wildcat’s catcher and stole two bases. This pattern continued as Pandolfo went to bat, leaving her on second and Nava on third.
Building off this, senior shortstop Carey Maletis stepped up to the plate and hit a rocket that barely stayed inside the fence, putting the Bears up 2-0 and landing her on third base. The Bears continued to capitalize on Oakland’s mistakes, which left senior catcher Kylie Cox on third base and Rodgers on second. With runners on base, freshman third baseman Lavi Taufahema* hit a soaring shot, out of the park for a home run, increasing the Bears’ lead to 5-0.
Although the Wildcats were able to get two quick outs on M-A, the Bears returned to the top of the hitting order, and their pressure persisted. M-A scored four more runs before Oakland caught a foul ball, finishing the first inning 9-0.
Unfortunately for the Wildcats, the second inning started the same as the first. The Bears fielded two grounders for easy outs, and Pandolfo caught another fly ball for the third out. With the combination of M-A’s stellar defense and Nava’s skillful pitching, Oakland was unable to put anyone on base in the second inning.
“We knew we had to stay at our level and not play down to other teams’ level because it’s easy to play more relaxed when we know the opponent isn’t as strong. But I think we still played our best and we all hit really well offensively. We played good defense and we had good pitching,” freshman left outfielder Sophiann Lin said.
The Wildcats warmed up to the Bears’ fast-paced play, narrowly grounding Rodgers’ hit for an out. Taufahema quickly countered this with a low hit down the middle, putting herself at first base, before eventually stealing second as well.
Senior pitcher Elise Koo stepped up and swung true, sending the ball deep into the outfield. This landed her on third base and allowed Taufahema and junior center outfielder Emma Loose to round home. The second inning concluded with the Bears up, 11-0.
At the top of the third inning, Koo stepped up to pitch and immediately struck out the Wildcats’ first two batters. Oakland tried desperately to counter with a single, but Maletis collected the Wildcats’ next hit and swiftly threw it to first for the third out, leaving Oakland scoreless. Pandolfo and Maletis both walked, and successive big hits by Cox, Rodgers, and Nava led the Bears to score four more runs.
Even though the Bears hadn’t gotten any outs in this inning, the umpires were forced to end the game in a mercy ruling, with the Bears winning 15-0.
“I think we played really well as a team yesterday. We were getting hits up and down the lineup and everybody contributed,” Maletis said.
The Bears will take on the American Eagles on Tuesday at 4 p.m.
*Lavi Taufahema is a journalist for the M-A Chronicle.
