On Monday, March 18, the Archie Williams varsity softball team laced up to play the San Rafael High School Bulldogs for their first home game of the season. The Falcons came off a 6-0 Marin County Athletic League (MCAL) victory against Tamalpais High School and continued their win streak against the Bulldogs, taking home a 4-2 victory. 

The first inning began with two clean strikeouts from junior pitcher Paige Murphy. San Rafael managed to get a runner on first after a solid hit to third base, but the top of the inning ended less than a minute later when another San Rafael player was thrown out at first base.

The Falcons struggled offensively in the bottom of the first. A strikeout, a hit to first base, and a ground ball to shortstop resulted in a quick three outs for the Falcons. The top of the second inning flew by with a lights-out triple strikeout from Paige. The Falcons’ offense also continued to lag at the bottom of the second, with all three batters striking out.

“What went well [today] is Paige’s pitching. She has the strike zone dialed in. [Junior catcher Kennedy Dunsing] was calling the pitches, and the combination between the two was phenomenal,” said head coach Joe Bell.

The bottom of the third inning displayed an offensive comeback from the Falcons. San Rafael struck the first two batters out, but sophomore Evangeline Arnold hit a pop-fly deep in right field, getting her on first base. Paige came next in the lineup and hit a triple to center field, bringing Evangeline home, and allowing her to put up the first point of the game for Archie Williams.

Sophomore Chase Unger hit a single and stole second base, sending Paige home. Kennedy hit a double straight to left field, bringing Chase home. The third inning ended with the Falcons leading the game 3-0.

In the fourth inning, freshman Lydia Battaglia hit a triple right off the bat, advancing her to scoring position. Unfortunately, the Falcons couldn’t fight off the Bulldogs’ pitcher, who threw quick strikeouts in both the fourth and fifth innings. The innings ended with no changes in the score, and the Falcons maintained their lead 3-0.

San Rafael ended their offensive slump in the sixth inning with a home run and a double. The double put a player in scoring position, and a single brought the Bulldogs’ runner home, changing the score to 3-2. 

The Falcons matched the Bulldogs’ offense, determined to keep their lead. Following the first out, Lydia hit a solid line drive down first base, resulting in an in-the-park home run, locking in the score at 4-2.

“My proudest moment for the team was Lydia’s in-the-park home run. She did a really good job,” said freshman Sam Singer.

A strikeout came after the home run, making the second out. Senior Emma Freed hit the ball down the middle of the field, but an error by San Rafael’s first baseman put Emma on base. The Bulldogs’ pitcher threw another strikeout, unfortunately, the third and final out of the sixth inning.

The Falcons’ defense held strong in the seventh inning, with three final strikeouts thrown by Paige. She pitched all seven innings and tallied a total of 16 strikeouts throughout the game. 

With a new win under their belt, the Falcons’ 2-1 record advances them into third place in MCAL rankings. Their next MCAL game will be a home game March 27 against Marin Catholic High School, but the Falcons will play two non-MCAL games this week. These include a home game against Saint Mary’s College High School March 21, and an away game against St. Vincent de Paul College Preparatory March 22. 

“Our goal for the future is to just keep working hard,” Sam said.