Despite efforts from third baseman Kamryn Gonzalez (9), who tripled in the second inning and stole a base in the fourth inning against Rancho Bernardo, softball wasn’t able to gain back ground after falling behind early and losing by a final score of 5-3.
Gonzalez’ triple was the first hit by the Wolverines, but she was left on third base, keeping the score 0-0 at the end of the second inning.
Still, first baseman Emma Guzman (11) scored from third base in the third inning from a sacrifice fly by outfielder Sarah Deng (10). This brought in the first run of the game for Westview, making the score 4-1.
Gonzalez said that the team’s performance improved from its pre-season scrimmage against the Broncos, where they lost 7-2.
“We started off hitting really well, and then it just dropped in the middle of the game, and I felt like energy also dropped when [RB] scored a bunch of runs,” Gonzalez said. Earlier in the season, we lost badly [to RB], but this game we improved.”
The Wolverines scored two more runs in the fourth inning, led by a triple by second baseman Abby Peake (9) and stolen base by Gonzalez.
According to pitcher Sierra Wallace (11), having a plan is crucial to the success of their gameplay. She said that the team learns from every loss.
“Our confidence and having plans for everything is something we need to work on,” Wallace said. “I think preparing beforehand and knowing what our plan is while we’re on the field is really key to winning games and everybody being on the same page and on the same path.”
After the fourth inning, both teams fell to a standstill and failed to acquire more hits.
Gonzalez said reflecting on her mistakes motivates her to push forward and do better. She said in this game she felt unsteady in her footwork, but was able to get a hit regardless.
“On the field, there were some things I could have done better: throws and communicating,” Gonzalez said. “The little things, like throws or footwork and just being set up in the right place, could have been better. I felt very hesitant about a lot of things and I need to have more confidence. When I got up to bat, I was just thinking, ‘Alright, the last at-bat doesn’t matter, I’m just going to forget about it, clean slate.’ And it was the perfect pitch. :I just swung and ran.”
To prepare for the game, Wallace said she has methods to get into the right mindset, including listening to music that helps her focus. Something that also helps her get into the right headspace is the cheering and motivation from her teammates while she’s pitching.
“Whenever I’m driving over to the game, I put on reggae music,” Wallace said. “When I listen to reggae, it makes me forget about everything else, and then just helps me get into the right mindset. I clear my head and get into the music. Something that’s also important is that I’ve been playing this sport since I was six and it always feels weird if nobody’s cheering for you and you get in your head. But in softball, when everybody’s chanting for you and cheering you on, then you’re less stressed and you’re having more fun.”
Gonzalez, on the other hand, said that the best way for her to get into the right way of thinking is to practice her superstitions and habits before and during the game.
“I am a very superstitious person, so there’s just little things, and if they don’t work out, then I’ll go on to the next thing,” Gonzalez said. “Like, I lead the prayer before each game, I always step onto the field with one leg, one specific foot. I always just prepare myself mentally. It’s very much like, trust chance, trust yourself, wherever the wind takes me kind of attitude. Also just not stressing about the little things and letting life kind of flow. And then I’ll take my time and breathe to take every second, as is. I had an error on the field, but all I had to do to prevent it was just breathe. But then I was like ‘well, there’s nothing I can do about it now, it’s in the past’ so I have to just forgive and forget.”
Although the Wolverines couldn’t prevail in this game, Wallace said that she is confident in their defensive abilities.
“I know that I don’t have to worry about striking out the batters every time because I know that if I could just put the ball over the plate, my defense will pull through and make a play for me if the other team hits [the ball],” Wallace said. “If my catcher can tell I’m not hitting my spots for pitches, she comes up to me and she’s just like, ‘Bro, just hit your spot, lock in.’ And then, sometimes people come up to me if something goes wrong, and they say, ‘Hey, you’re good, just get the next one’ and the support really helps.”
In order to improve, Gonzalez said that the team has pre-game rituals that help get them in the zone for their match.
“We practice every single day to get better,” Gonzalez said. “We watch our film and write notes about what we did wrong in past games and always practice before each game. Something especially important we do is affirmations [about our talents] in a circle before the game actually starts, and we lead a prayer.”
Gonzalez said her 11-year journey with softball has helped her become more social, athletic, and confident. She attributes her high school softball success to the support and friendship of her teammates.
“I’ve been worried about high school and I’ve been worried about college,” Gonzalez said. “But, coming here and being able to be myself and play my heart out, especially with these girls being my best friends, has helped so much.”
