On Wednesday, May 15, the Archie Williams varsity softball team faced Analy High School at Redhill Field. The Falcons recent offensive struggles ended this game as they collected 8 total hits and won 6-5. The team and the crowd were in high spirits, holding signs and wearing face paint in support.
“We’re so proud of number 19 [Sarah Conway] for getting that clutch hit. She never played softball her freshman year, and now she’s a second-year starter, and it’s great to see her progress to winning the game right there,” said softball head coach Joe Bell.
The Falcons quickly shut down the Tiger’s offense in the top of the first. The defense transitioned into offense and the Falcons put up three runs in the bottom of the first. Junior pitcher Paige Murphy led the offense with a crucial hit.
They kept their 3-0 lead up until the fifth inning when a Falcon outfielder dropped the ball. This allowed the runners to all advance safely and for the Tiger three-hitter to knock in two more runs. The fifth inning resided with Falcons hovering atop the Tigers 3-2.
The Tiger pitcher made quick work with the top of the Falcons lineup. They struck out the first two batters that came to the plate, the last flew out to the infield. The Tiger defense propelled their offense into the bottom of the inning. Off the bat, the first two Tigers reached base safely. And with one out, the Tigers hit a ball to the wall that the Falcons couldn’t track down. The Tigers jumped to the lead over the Falcons for the first time all game.
“I think we had great energy at the beginning and when we were down, we rallied,” Sarah said.
Despite suffering their first deficit all game, the Falcons remained positive going into the seventh and final inning. Freshman Lydia Battaglia started the inning with a single up the middle and knocked in two runs making the score even. This put the Falcons in front 6-5 going into the last half-inning of play.
The game started as it ended with Paige striking out the first batter of the inning. They quickly got two more outs and were awarded the win.
“I knew going up there that I could hit her and if I did, it would win the game,” Sarah said.
This was a huge victory for the Falcons considering their bad luck at a recent Marin County Athletic League (MCAL) game.
“Every time we’ve played them we’ve lost by one run so it’s really good that we came out really strong… I’m just proud of how we came out strong and how we finished out the game,” Paige said. Their next game will be at Encinal Jets on Friday. The Falcons look to continue through the NCS Division Three tournament.
