Softball: Swinging into a Strong Season

By Leighton Tanaka, Staff Writer

// The Acalanes softball team (10-4 overall, 3-1 league) is off to a promising start for the upcoming season.

   With five freshmen joining the team, there is plenty of room for growth. The season started slow with a 2-12 loss to Dougherty Valley on Feb. 26. Freshman Santana Tamayo had two hits and one run batted in (RBI), and senior Nicole Parlett had one hit. Sophomore Maya Shoenhair pitched two innings with two strikeouts.

   “Our very first game, we made a lot of mistakes. They’re a pretty good team, we just didn’t play up to our ability. But, I think it was a great learning experience,” Head Coach Victor Silva said.

   Luckily, the Dons rebounded from the initial loss on Feb. 28 with a decisive 14-3 win over Antioch, with junior Esa Orman collecting three hits, including a double and a triple, and five RBIs. Junior Emme Young had two hits, including one double, and two RBIs. Senior Lana Cerejo pitched over four innings with two strikeouts. 

   Acalanes kicked off March with another win against Deer Valley on March 5, scoring 12 runs in the first inning and eventually winning 15-4. Tamayo had one hit, scored two runs, and had three RBIs. Freshman Ella Greenfield collected a hit and an RBI. Shoenhair pitched three innings with four strikeouts. 

   “In the first couple of games, a lot of [the frosh] were very hesitant and scared to make an error … but now they’re a lot more confident and you can see in the way they approach the game,” Parlett said.

   This was followed up by a 2-12 loss to Mt. Eden on March 7. Despite encountering challenges and losses the team remains driven to improve.

   “We’re a pretty close-knit team, everyone gets along pretty well, and I think part of that is that we help each other when we’re not playing well but we also help each other when we’re playing well, we motivate each other and that keeps us going,” Parlett said.

   In their first league game of the season on March 11, they defeated Concord 14-3. Young went four for four, scoring three runs, and had two RBIs. Shoenhair pitched three strong innings with no earned runs and three strikeouts.

   They had a 2-6 loss against Northgate on March 14, but on March 16 the Dons bounced back with a win in the next game winning 6-4 against Encinal. Sophomore Lauren Foster had two hits and scored two runs. Shoenhair had two hits and Tamayo had two hits and two RBIs. Cerejo pitched three scoreless innings with two strikeouts. 

   The Dons rode the momentum of the last win into their game on March 19, beating Berean Christian 5-3. Freshman Riley Zirkel went three for three and Greenfield had two hits and two RBIs. Cerejo pitched a complete game. 

   “It’s not like there’s no talent now, it’s there, but we have a lot of talent that’s still growing. So, as soon as [the talent] grows, we’re going to be a strong team,” Silva said.