Varsity girls' softball remain undefeated

Blazer Field, April 12 —

The Blair varsity girls' softball team (6-0) confidently defeated Bethesda - Chevy Chase (B – CC) to uphold their perfect record and tough reputation. Despite the low level of competition, the Blazers did well adjusting to the game while maintaining a high level of play.

Blair's main season-long goals have been to improve incrementally each game, and to perform with a high level of intensity no matter the opponent, both of which they accomplished against B – CC. "We started out the game really pumped,” said Coach Louis Hoelman. "We came out strong and played with intensity throughout, and this is the first time we've really done that.”

On defense, the Blazers appeared strong and connected as a team. Junior pitcher Eve Brown and sophomore pitcher Samantha Schweickhardt, in combination with junior catcher Emily Haislip, consistently shut down Baron attempts at the plate. This made the defensive game almost boring for the rest of the team, according to senior captain Chloe Sheridan. "The pitchers did amazing today, we honestly didn't really have anything to do,” she said.

Offensively, the biggest obstacle for Blair was adjusting to the slower-speed pitching. However, this did not slow the Blazers down for long, and the game ended after the fifth inning (due to the high school softball mercy rule) with a score of 18-0, Blair.

Though the Blair team has many individual talents, it proved against B – CC that the entire team is a threat to the rest of the league. The team was rotated through the lineup so that everyone got a chance to play, and according to Sheridan the substitutes did not disappoint. "You couldn't tell the difference [between the starters and the non-starters],” she said. "After many of them have not played in a few games [the substitutes] really stepped it up and we were really consistent.”

After such a strong showing, Hoelman couldn't really think of anything specifically the team needs to work on other than continuing to work hard. Senior captain Roxanne Oroxom notes that while Blair's timing was magnificent against the Baron pitchers, they still need to focus a bit on cut-offs and base running.

Looking forward, the team hopes to win their division, and according to Hoelman, winning the upcoming games against undefeated teams Paint Branch and Sherwood will be important steps in this process. But Oroxom believes that the team's preparation throughout the season so far will help them be successful in the future. "We have been taking each game one step at a time, and playing each game like it's against our biggest opponent,” she said.

Softball plays its next home game on April 17 against Paint Branch at 12:30 p.m.