Varsity: The varsity softball team opened their season at home on Tuesday, March 13 in their newly renovated complex with a new coaching staff: head coach Donnie Dutton, assistants Joe Tenney, Greg Schultz and Tanis Smith.
The Wildcat's first home game was a terrific start to the season as they pounced on Yorktown, 7-0. The bats were brought to life with senior shortstop, Kara Love, who racked up a double and triple with two runs and 1 RBI; sophomore Macy Luck, who went 3 for 4 with three singles and three RBIs; and senior third baseman, Lexi Murdock, who rocked a single with an RBI.
Also contributing were senior outfielder Hayley Holmes, who shot a single with a stolen base; senior Gisela DeConti, who drove two doubles with a RBI; and senior outfielder Fiona Watson, who recorded a single with an RBI. With a stellar defense behind her, sophomore Morgan Yi lead the Lady Wildcats, pitching three strike outs and only allowing four hits while also fielding solidly on the mound.
Find out what's happening in Centrevillefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The ladies went on the road on Wednesday, March 14, to take on the AA 2011 State Champions, Briar Wood Falcons. Although the Lady Wildcats lost the battle with a 0-3 score, there were some impressive catches and plays by senior Courtney Burke, DeConti and Love. Freshman Gretchen Kernbach and Yi shared the pitching duties for the Wildcats and both delivered key strikeouts with runners on base to keep the Falcons at bay.
The Friday, March 16 home game against the Madison Warhawks was not what the Wildcats had hoped for, with a score of 13-1. Not reflected in the score was the strong Wildcat defense as the Warhawks were able to find the gaps with their strong bats.
Find out what's happening in Centrevillefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The varsity squad were scheduled to be on the road again on Monday, March 19, against the Bruins at Lake Braddock, and will face Briar Woods again, this time at home, on Wednesday, March 21. Both games start at 6:30 p.m. The ladies will also play at home at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 24 for the preliminary games of the Madison Spring Break Tournament.
JV: The JV softball team also opened their season on Tuesday, March 13, with a dominating win against opponent Yorktown High School with a score of 11-4.
Yorktown scored first, holding a 1-0 lead in the first and second inning, but Centreville struck back in the third. Freshman Lauren Jones started off with a single and after advancing to third on two passed balls, scored to tie the game on sophomore Erin Seabrook's sacrifice fly. Freshman Rachel Lee gave the Wildcats the lead in the third inning with a two RBI single. Junior Jenna Sarlouis and sophomore Sarah Hudson each recorded multiple hits and RBI's to clinch the win. Jones tallied nine strikeouts for the Wildcats.
The following night, Lady Wildcats JV softball team recorded another win as they hosted Briar Woods High School in their first home game Wednesday evening, March 14. Briar Woods notched a run at the top of the first inning but soon was overcome as the Wildcats scored four runs in the bottom half of the first. The scoring started with a walk from Sarlouis, who then scored on a double by Jones. Hudson followed with a walk and also scored with Jones on a double by Seabrook. Freshman Hannah Underhill reached first on an error, causing Seabrook to score.
The Wildcats continued to put runs on the board each inning. Junior Samira Wheeler recorded an RBI double and sophomore Leah DeVera had a single and two RBIs. Centreville defeated Briar Woods with a final score of 11-1. Sarah Hudson pitched the full game and clinched the win with four strikeouts.
