On Monday, March 24, the Archie Williams girls’ softball team faced the San Rafael High School Bulldogs (2-8), ultimately winning 6-1. Despite a slow start from the Falcons, a home-field advantage, good weather, and energy helped the Falcons take control of the scoreboard late in the game. This win improved their record to 3-0 in the Marin County Athletic League.

The first inning saw hits and defensive stops from both teams, as senior catcher Kennedy Dunsing hit a double, but the Bulldogs’ defense ultimately left her stranded on the bases. San Rafael managed to run in their only point of the game, off errors from the Falcons’ defense. The Falcons remained down 0-1 for the majority of the game, going scoreless into the fourth inning. 

After several defensive stops by the Falcons, including a bunt caught by junior third basemen Chase Unger and 15 strikeouts from senior Tufts University commit, pitcher Paige Murphy, the Falcons limited the Bulldogs’ offense. 

“We threw a lot of strikes, forcing them to put the ball in play. Once they put the ball in play, I was confident that our defense could stop it,” said Archie Williams girls’ varsity softball head coach Neil Murphy.

During the fifth inning, the Falcons began to gain offensive momentum, continuing their defensive shutout. Freshman first baseman Parker Conrad started the offensive push for the Falcons, hitting a single and running in freshman center fielder Katie Murphy to tie the score. Near the end of the inning, Paige hit her second triple of the game, giving Archie Williams the lead 2-1. 

The sixth inning was much of the same for the Falcons, with a double from Kennedy and a single from sophomore secondbasemen Sam Singer. The Falcons took a comfortable 3-1 lead with a single from freshman designated hitter Ana Flandermeyer. The Bulldogs continued struggling to get anything past Paige and into the field of play. 

Later in the inning, freshman Designated Hitter Avery Rose hit an in-the-park home run, bringing in Ana and Parker and increasing the Falcons’ lead 6-1. San Rafael made one last push to regain their lead, but continuous strikeouts from Paige kept them scoreless through the sixth and final seventh inning, keeping the score at 6-1. 

“When we made adjustments in the box and laid off the high pitches, we had much better offense and were able to produce runs,” Ana said. 

This win helped Archie Williams improve their overall record to 8-2. The Falcons’ next game is Wednesday, March 26, when they face the much-improved Terra Linda Trojans away in another league contest. 

“We want to take the momentum from winning this game and take it into the next game,” Paige said.  “We are just going to keep doing what we’ve been doing and not focus too much on the other teams.”