On May 9, the girl’s varsity softball team Lady Barons played against the Eastlake High (EHS) Titans for senior night. Students and parents from both schools filled the bleachers to show their team spirit for BVH’s  senior night.

The game began with pitcher and sophomore Natalie Gonzalez (00) pitching to EHS. EHS hits the ball, but senior first baseman Makayla Veglia (7) gets to first base before the Titan can. At the bottom of the first inning, lead off hitter and junior Brynna Baca (12) awaits the next pitch. She reaches first base after a line drive to the outfield and the next batter steps up. After three bats, the bases are loaded and Veglia steps up to the plate. She hits a double, bringing in three runs. The score becomes 3-1 in what inning

“I had two RBI (runs batted in) and that was fun to carry the momentum and get some more runs in. This game definitely carries us into CIF (California Interscholastic Federation). We lost our last two games and winning this one is especially important since it would give us strength going into CIFs,” Veglia said.

As Veglia brings in those first few runs during the first inning, head coach Alejandro Jordan expresses the meaning of getting those first runs on the board early in the game. Jordan feels runs in the first few innings don’t matter as much as those in the later innings when the game really comes down to a few crucial runs. 

“Our first run at that point was so early [in the game] that it didn’t really change. It’s later when those runs make a bigger difference. Early on, it didn’t really impact us in any way because we kept on doing what we were supposed to do,” Jordan said.

Into the fourth inning BVH held a 3 point lead. In the fifth inning, EHS scores two runs and ties up the score to 6-6. With an even score going into the sixth inning, BVH became more eager to win.  Catcher and senior Alani Keeran (9) explains what keeps her inspired as the game unfolds and what motivates her to win. 

“What keeps me motivated is doing it for my team. Especially for my pitcher and wanting to do it for her. I strive for the best and I strive for the win and I never give up,” Keeran said.

As the game continues it is important for any team to keep their head up and not relax as well as staying focused throughout. Jordan believes that motivation becomes all the more important and how important it is for a player to stay motivated throughout the game and be able to motivate themselves.

“I try my best not to be the one keeping them motivated, they need to motivate themselves. That’s not my job to motivate them. The opponent in front of them should motivate them enough [to win],” Jordan said.

During the bottom of the sixth, senior Sofia Barbabosa (10) gets a single. Senior Isabel Beccera (3) is next up to bat and hits a double allowing Barbabosa to score. Then, Baca walks to first base and next Aryanna Salazar (5) hits a single, loading up the bases. Freshman Arianna Magdaleno (99) hits a double and brings in Beccera and Bacas. Veglia gets a single, bringing in two more runs. Veglia expresses the emotions she felt during this inning and how these runs were being scored.

“It’s always good when we work together as a team. It’s hard to win a game with only a few players [trying] and I think in a game where you score [multiple] runs, it shows how good we are working together,” Veglia said.

As the bottom of sixth continues, Keeran hits the first of two singles. With the bases loaded once again there is much tension between the two teams. Barbabosa hits a pop-up causing an out but giving the opportunity to bring in a run for her team. With players left on third and second base, junior Alisa Quitoriano (24) hits the ball into the outfield bringing in two runs. The score at the end of the sixth inning was 14-6. Keeran explains the drama that unfolded in the sixth inning and how important those runs were. 

“I definitely hit the fence and I really wanted [the ball] to go over, but [getting the runs] made me feel super comfortable going into the seventh inning. I had all the confidence in the world that my pitcher was going to finish what we were supposed to do and take the win home,” Keeran said.

With the game dragging out for two hours and a half, the seventh inning marked the last. During the top of the seventh, EHS got on the bases, but did not score any runs. This indicates the defeat of EHS. With the game being over, BVH won their last game before CIFs during their senior night to make it even all the more memorable. For Keeran as a senior who won’t be playing softball in college, she was glad to have been able to play her last game with peers she played with when she was little. 

“Whenever you win, on senior night, that’s awesome, especially for your seniors. You want them to win when they’re at home on senior night. I wouldn’t say it was an accomplishment but definitely something we definitely hoped we could get done for our seniors,” Jordan said.