The JV softball team won 17-0 on April 25 against Mira Loma. The first inning started off slow but got up to speed as the players got warmed up.
“I think we’re doing pretty good. We’re hitting the ball and playing good defense,” #15 Kaitlyn King, pitcher of the team, said.
Mira Loma came up to bat at the start of the first inning and had three batters come up but the pitcher King, managed to get them all out. Whitney’s first batter was #6, Hannah Peck got a base hit. #5 Alyssa Young was up next and hit two fouls and then was walked. #9 Sammi Valenze hit the first ball thrown at her and got Peck a run. #13 Kat Buisson hit the ball to the middle and got out, but Young and Valenze stole third and second base. With four more runs they ended the inning with Whitney up 5-0.
Second inning started as King stepped up to the pitcher’s mound and, with a few practice pitches, the game started again. After Mira Loma batted, the team came back up to the plate scoring three more runs and ending the second inning with Whitney up 8-0.
The third inning ended quickly as again only three Mira Loma batters came up to the plate and all struck out. Valenze started out the team getting on to base and things went smoothly until #4 Abby Hammond struck out. #14 Maddie Mitchell moved to steal on a dead ball and got the team two outs, ending the third inning 10-0.
As King got warmed up, the coaches from both teams conversed. Mira Loma came up to bat. The first batter came up to the plate and got on base. The second player hit it to the second baseman who threw it to the shortstop getting the first batter out then the shortstop threw it to first making the second batter get out too. As the third batter came up she got three strikes. Whitney scored three more runs ending the inning with Whitney up 13-0.
The fifth inning started as the first two Mira Loma players struck out and the third got walked. As the fourth hit and got on base things looked better for them as the fourth batter sprinted to home base and King quickly threw to first getting the sixth batter out and making the run not count. King came up to bat first and got a run. #16 Katie Hammons quickly followed behind her with a home run. Young came up to bat and while on base moved before the ball was in motion and the umpire called it a dead ball, earning the team two outs. Buisson batted again and fouled three times, the third foul she ran to the base and when it looked like a foul the person on third tried to run back and ran into the Mira Loma third baseman keeping her from catching the foul ball. The game ended with Whitney up 17-0.
“Our JV team is doing very well. We are undefeated in league so far. I think they can improve by working together as a team more. There are some things on the field that shouldn’t be happening but we will fix that,” team manager Lauren Rowe said.
Assistant coach Kerianne Reed felt they did a great job this game and had great hitting and defense.
Reed said, “They are doing a great job this year. They are doing a great job of stepping up and taking over for a few of the girls who were pulled up to Varsity mid-season and are gaining confidence. We did very well this game.”
by ARIELLA APPLEBY
