It was a competitive game through and through, coming down to just a few key plays that made the difference. 

             The clearest improvements came in our at-bats today. Kyra Dunnirvine ’23 led off the game with a walk and ended up stealing 3rd base and home to put the Wyverns on the board. Lexi Vail ’22 smashed a line drive to right field to get on base, and also stole home to put us up 2-0. In the 5th inning, some clever cooperation involving a pretend bunt and a steal allowed Mackenzie Caruso ’22 to reach 3rd base and score on a grounder hit by Lexi. Caitlin Budzik ’21 showed her hustle by reaching 2nd base on a pop up that found its way to the ground. Our fourth and final run came in the 6th inning when a well-placed blooper by Kyra brought Ava Radmanovich ’21 home after a series of walks.

          Defense was the name of the game today, as both teams were quickly getting players on base. Kyra kept the batters on edge by quickly racing to 0-2 counts and then teasing with pitches on the edge of the strike zone, pulling off a strikeout in each of the first three innings. Good communication and preparation before each pitch allowed the Wyverns to execute 1-2-3 innings in the 3rd and 4th with plays from Ava at shortstop, Caitlin at second base,  Olivia Pear ’21 at first base, and Mackenzie in center field, while also holding off runs in the 6th with multiple runners on base. Kaylee Diaz ’19 managed the day’s difficult gusts of wind to pull off a show-stopping (and nearly heart-stopping) catch in right field in the 3rd inning.

         Despite the loss, today’s game gave us a lot to look forward to for the rest of the season in terms of progress for individual players and for the team as a whole.