By Kevin Park & Jordan Xiao
Tiger Staff
The softball team opened the 2015 season with a close 5-4 loss to Montebello High School on Monday, March 2. The away game consisted of a promising performance from the Tigers, who look to improve on their previous season’s 5-16 record.
The game started off in the Oilers’ favor, with the home team putting up three runs in the second inning. South Pasadena attempted a recovery with one run of their own, but another two from Montebello put the score at 5-1 by the end of the fourth. The Tigers rallied with three runs in the fifth and sixth, but were held off by determined opposition in the seventh to finish the game 5-4.
Offensively, the Tigers were led by senior Cassie Baca, who went three for four with a single, double and triple. Sophomore Emily Swanson and freshman Victoria Vernardi each finished with two singles. Freshman Sophie Reynolds went one for three with a single, with a run batted in as well to supplement South Pas’ offense.
The Tigers were behind Baca on the mound, who earned six strikeouts, but gave up a home run in the fourth. Sophomore Adrianna Ramirez secured the infield with a strong showing at shortstop. The defense had one error and held the opposition to no more than four batters each inning until the fourth.
“I think we fought a really good battle,” Swanson said. “We need to work mainly on just communication and being more selective up at the plate.”
The game sets a strong precedent for the Tigers, who struggled with morale for much of the previous season. The Tigers’ next game is their first of league season, and will be away against Heritage Christian High School on Thursday, March 5.
“I’d say this game was a pretty positive sign for our season because we never stopped fighting,” Baca said. “If we can wake up our bats for our future games, I think we will get better results.”
