On Tuesday afternoon, the softball team annihilated the Terra Nova Tigers, enacting the mercy rule in the fourth inning, with a score of 17-2.
The first inning started with senior Dani Koo pitching for M-A, but was finished by senior Ashlyn Roeder who converted both a double play, and caught the third out at first base to bring M-A up to bat. After freshman Juliana Pandolfo started things off by drawing a walk, and Dani Koo was hit by a pitch, the Bears were primed for a big inning. An RBI from Roeder got M-A on the board, followed by hits from sophomore Kylie Cox and freshman Gracelyn Nava, bringing the Bears’ lead to 3-0 at the end of the first inning.
The Tigers got on the board in the second inning, as a single split the gap and brought a runner home. Dani Koo was determined to not let their momentum build, striking out a Terra Nova batter to preserve the M-A lead. Freshman Miya Yu got on base with a single and quickly stole second base to get into scoring position. Dani Koo then blasted a shot off the fence to bring Yu into score. The second inning would conclude with M-A leading 4-1.
After the game, Yu said, “It feels great to contribute to the team, especially with it being my first year. I am just very proud to be able to do this with my team.”
The third inning was when the offensive onslaught for the Bears really began. After Dani Koo worked through another inning, only giving up one run and striking another batter out, M-A unleashed a flurry of offensive prowess. It started with the Tigers’ pitcher walking four straight M-A batters, bringing the score to 5-2. A bases-clearing double from Pandolfo brought all runners home, pushing the lead to 8-2.
Dani Koo then promptly hit a single to bring Pandolfo home, followed by two stolen bases for Dani Koo. Roeder ripped a single of her own driving Dani Koo into score. One more single from Cox brought Roeder home after she stole second and third base. The nightmare inning finally came to a close for the Tigers, but they faced an 11-2 deficit.
A third double play of the game for M-A, as well as a routine ground out capped off a dominant defensive performance on the day. Pandolfo commented, “I just think that we communicated really well on defense all game, and we had our double plays which shows that we were really working together.”
The Bears continued to see the ball well with singles from senior DonnaBella Gaetano and sophomore Carey Maletis getting M-A into position early in the bottom of the fourth. Sophomore Elise Koo connected on a single to bring Gaetano home, followed by Yu working a walk, to load the bases. A single from Pandolfo, and another double from Dani Koo, saw a combined four runs come home, extending the Bears’ lead to 16-2. Finally, a single from Cox allowed Dani Koo to score, and trigger the mercy rule at 17-2.
Dani Koo reflected on her pitching day saying, “Even when I am having a rough time, I just know my defense will have my back behind me, which just encourages me to keep throwing strikes.”
