By: Abby Coven
News Editor
Halfway through the season, the LGHS Girls’ Varsity Softball Team continues to dominate with a 16-1 record.
The Wildcats beat Milpitas High School on Apr. 1 with a score of 13-2. Junior Ava Norquist hit two home runs and struck out six batters over four innings, alongside senior Grace Tucker, a Dominican University of California commit, who had three runs batted in (RBIs), two runs, and one double. Junior Cate Zeman stole two bases, scored two runs, and had one RBI. The girls’ formidable performance demonstrated their dominance.
In their game against Wilcox High School on Apr. 3, the team fell behind 3-0 in the first inning, but came back strong and won handily 13-5. Sophomore and third baseman Alyshia LaPlante shared, “I love that our team is so resilient. We fight through all seven innings of the game, no matter what happens. Even when other teams score, our captains encourage everyone to ‘reset’ and not let it get in our heads.” Senior Olivia Sickels hit a home run and has nine doubles so far this season.
At the beginning of spring break, LGHS hosted an exhilarating weekend tournament. Through an impressive 16-2 win over Santa Teresa High School, they secured the gold division. During the semi-final match against Homestead, junior Danica DeSantis pitched seven innings, surrendering only two runs and leading the team to victory
In addition to consistently performing at the top of their league, the Wildcats are raking in outstanding individual victories as well. For the past two years, the De Anza League has awarded Norquist the Most Valuable Player award. This year, she committed to playing softball at Siena University. Throughout her time on the team as the starting pitcher, Norquist has struck out over 60 opponents so far and has an earned run average (ERA) of zero in five games and an ERA of 1.92 for the season. Tucker leads the team with 27 runs and 32 hits. Sickles leads the team in stolen bases with six along with senior Tessa Lilienstein who has five. Even more impressive is how well the Wildcats are performing in spite of losing key players, senior Sophia Krish and sophomore Monika Leaverton, to pre-season injuries.
Head Coach Randy Frey and Assistant Coach Jim Johnson hope to lead the Wildcats to another championship. “Both coaches clearly love their job,” LaPlante enthused. “They really care about us and want us to be the best we can be as a team, as players, and as individuals.”
The Wildcats beat Saratoga High School on April 15 with a score of 12-2. On Apr. 17, the team won their game against Los Altos High School 11-3 on Apr. 17. With passionate coaches, great captains, an incredible team bond, and a winning 5-0 in league play, this 25-26 Girls’ Varsity team is really tagging all the bases.