On Saturday, April 20, the Altoona softball team played Dubois.
“We practice throughout the week on days we do not play games. In practice, we have been focusing on game-like situations and scenarios to prepare us for upcoming games,” head coach Alyssa Fasolo said.
Altoona held them off well in the first inning, only allowing one run.
“After the first inning, I felt like we could hang with them and pull off a win. They were only up 1-0 so all I kept thinking was we hold them to the 1-0 lead and we can come back at our next at bats,” Reed said.
The second inning was similar to the first; by the end of the inning the score was 2-0. Altoona was losing.
“After the second inning, we were very much in the game, down by only two runs. We had been through our lineup once and were making adjustments at the plate to work on driving in runs,” Fasolo said.
During the top of the third inning, Dubois got a home run gaining them three more runs making the score 5-0..
“Being down by five runs presented more of a challenge, as we had to focus on holding the other team on defense and scoring runs on offense. Making up a five run difference requires you to have a different approach versus only being down a run or two,” Fasolo said.
However in the second half of the third inning, sophomore Kaya Sprankle was up to bat resulting in her getting to first base. From there Sprankle continued to steal second and then third until she eventually made it home, scoring Altoona their first run.
“It felt really good knowing that there could be more to come, and that we now didn’t have to start from ground zero the next inning,” Sprankle said.
With second and third base loaded, Sprankle was up to bat. She makes contact with the ball on the third swing and brings her teammate home, scoring Altoona another run.
“I felt more urged to get a good hit because there were people in positions for me to hit in so they could score,” Sprankle said.
Dubois hits a long ball right to number altoona who catches it resulting in the first out of the fifth inning.
“We need to have people in the outfield to stop big hits. Not just people though. We have to have a solid outfield that can make big and long throws when it is needed. Without a solid outfield, any runners on base will undoubtedly score,” Reed said.
By the end of the fifth inning, the score was 6-2.
“It felt a little nerve racking knowing we only had two innings to get those runs back for a chance to win. But it also felt good thinking that only four runs in two innings is not that many,” Sprankle said.
Both teams scored multiple runs during the sixth inning making the score 9-4.
“It felt really great, making us one step closer to closing the gap in runs. As well as trusting myself that I could make it there safe, and help the team even more,” Sprankle said.
Although the girls continuously worked hard, they lost with an ending score of 9-4.
“Every loss presents an opportunity to learn. Moving forward, we need to clean up a few errors on defense and remain consistent at the plate,” Fasolo said.
The girls next home game is Wednesday the 24th at 3:30.p.m. against Mifflin County.
