Blazers stand tall against Titans

MARCH 23, BLAZER STADIUM--

The JV softball team opened its season with a strong victory over the Einstein Titans this afternoon. Despite foundering midway through the game, the Blazers' superior batting skills carried the team to a 22-11 win after only five innings.

Some of the team's early problems were because of difficulty batting against Einstein's soft pitches, according to junior Sarah Wolk. "We're swinging too early, so we're not hitting strongly enough," she said. However, the team quickly adjusted and hit consistently throughout the game. The game's most memorable play was its last, when freshman Allison Ruben smacked a grounder past Einstein outfielders and allowed the Blazers to turn Ruben's hit into a 4-run grand slam to close out the game.

In the first two innings, Blair assumed a comfortable three-run lead over Einstein, largely thanks to the team's first-time and only pitcher, sophomore Emily May. In the next few innings, however, May showed signs of fatigue when her pitches became increasingly wild and walked several Einstein players who then stole bases for runs. By the top of the fourth inning, Einstein had gained a 10-8 lead over the Blazers.

However, Blair charged back in the next innings, outrunning Einstein's fielders to keep the bases loaded at almost every opportunity until the end of the game. During Einstein's turns at bat, freshman Maggie Sullivan and sophomore Sara Pierce helped to stifle the Titans' hopes for a comeback with their excellent fielding. The team's few defensive errors--including a confusion in the fourth inning between May and shortstop Ruben, when both tried to catch the same fly ball--were compensated for by Einstein's mistakes throughout the game.

The Blazers next face Watkins Mill away from home on Thursday, March 25 at 3:30 p.m.