NATICK – Following a sluggish beginning to the season offensively, with only four runs scored in their initial two games, the Medfield Warriors softball squad had to make some changes.
On Thursday, the team had to train indoors because of the weather conditions, yet the Warriors turned it into an advantage.
We had an excellent training session indoors yesterday," Coach Travis Taliaferro from Medfield stated. "Often, many coaches believe such days are unproductive." He added, "We're fortunate that Sluggers Academy is located here in Medfield. We can go straight there after school and accomplish numerous drills that paid off today.
I can't express enough how excited we are to have the opportunity to enter.
The performance within resulted in 23 matches found and ended with an 18-7 victory away from home against Natick on Friday.
The previous encounter between these two squads saw Natick securing a significant away victory when they defeated Medfield with a score of 18-9 back in April.
These players took down our team last year, which made us emphasize saying things like 'Hey, let's head out this Friday and see how everything unfolds.' The weather was pleasant, perfect for playing outside," Taliaferro explained. "Last year they dominated us completely; we weren’t even competitive back then. So today every small victory counts as progress. We aim to bring them onto the field with us, stay engaged throughout the match, and hopefully secure our very first lead of the season.
You need to take these teeny-tiny small steps each time to make progress.
Even though the Warriors ultimately emerged victorious, the Redhawks initially seized the lead in the match.
It was Natick’s ninth batter, Cami Smith, who brought home the game’s initial run by singling in Liesl Niedermeyer.
Smith and Macy Gillis subsequently scored on wild pitches, making the score 3-0 after the bottom of the second inning.
Medfield was prepared to bounce right back. A hit and a few mistakes swiftly provided the Warriors with their initial scoring spree of the game.
Next, consecutive RBI singles from Katie Currie, Ashley Fessenden, and Cate Rodenhi put Medfield ahead for the first time this season.
After one more batter, Lucie Manuel hit a sacrifice fly, making the score 5-3 as they entered the bottom of the third inning.
Despite facing some challenges, the Redhawks managed to bounce back immediately. In the third inning, Niedermeyer and Gillis secured RBIs with their consecutive base hits, bringing the score level again at five.
During the fourth and fifth innings, Natick continued their momentum, scoring one run in each inning to take a 7-5 lead heading into the top of the sixth.
It illustrates how their determination is truly growing," Coach Brenna Keefe from Natick stated. "I believe they never surrendered throughout the game. However, during the final inning, it became quite challenging and momentum began to wane. Nonetheless, their perseverance in the initial six innings met all expectations a coach could have.
However, Medfield wasn't ready to accept just losing closely to Natick.
The Warriors responded with four consecutive hits, tying the match at 7-7. Shortly afterward, Fessenden contributed an additional single to reclaim the lead. Following her, both Rodenhi and Manuel extended Medfield’s advantage; they each hit singles, scoring two runs apiece, which brought the score to 12-7 in favor of Medfield.
At the bottom of the sixth, Natick found it difficult to mount a response. To conclude the frame, Manuel caught the sole Redhawks baserunner, Cami Smith, attempting to extend a hit from a single to a double.
We focused on small plays such as those made by our senior Lucie Manuel; she has also been eagerly anticipating this moment," Taliaferro stated. "Lucie delivered several powerful hits, including a significant stop at left field which boosted team morale greatly. Once we managed that, we found ourselves energized and ready to hit once more.
At the start of the seventh inning, the Warriors immediately resumed their offensive surge, gathering six hits and racking up six runs to bring the score to 18-7, securing their initial victory for the season. During this period, both Sophie Baker and Cate Rodenhi achieved four hits apiece throughout the game.
We frequently discuss children’s capacity to learn and be prepared for their opportunity," Taliaferro stated. "Those two kids had been brought into action by the conclusion of last year; however, if we look back two seasons prior, these same kids were hesitant about making errors. Today, though, they stepped up and embraced their chance.
For these two, it has taken quite some time to grab their moment in the limelight, but they certainly seized it today.
For the Redhawks, this defeat marked their first loss of the season following victories in their initial two matches with scores of 31-8.
I believe the challenge we faced in the past two matches prepared us to anticipate being further along, and I genuinely feel that this serves as a valuable lesson for our team," Coach Keefe stated. Occasionally, mistakes tend to hinder progress; however, I think experiencing these setbacks will help them learn and develop.
I believe the score doesn't match the game I witnessed.
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