Girls’ varsity softball (5-4 overall, 1-1 Peninsula Athletic League Bay) lost 4-0 to Capuchino High School on Thursday, March 21.
Currently, the Panthers sit at fifth in the PAL Bay division, tied with Aragon High School and not far behind San Mateo High School. Capuchino, on the other hand, entered the game in third place, presenting a formidable challenge for Burlingame going into the matchup.
In the first inning on Thursday, the Mustangs took an early 1-0 lead. They scored three more runs in the fifth inning to increase their advantage. The Panthers, on the other hand, struggled offensively throughout the game. Although seniors Lily Greiner and Olivia Fleming and juniors Naomi Leslie and Hailey Miller each reached base with a hit, the Panthers couldn’t string together enough at-bats to generate a run. Freshman Madeline Koo also delivered a walk to first base, but the Mustangs tagged her on second, neutralizing the scoring opportunity. Despite limited base runners and offense production, Burlingame remained solid and consistent on the mound and in the field. Fleming, in particular, showed strong defense and great effort with multiple impressive plays at shortstop.
“Our shortstop play was great, Olivia [Fleming] was great,” head coach Albert Delrosso said. “Our outfield positioning was wonderful the entire game.”
The Panthers adjusted well, given significant changes to their starting line-up, including multiple call-ups from junior varsity and a new position for Miller, who took on third base for the first time.
Seniors Kasey Lyons and Tatiana Moaraga switched off pitching the entire game and delivered exceptionally well, with Greiner offering reliable catching. The team plans to work on increasing their offensive production in upcoming practices to prepare for the next game and the rest of the league schedule ahead.
“Keeping [the team’s] energy level stable throughout the whole game, no matter what happens [on the field],” Fleming said. “My personal energy approach is…trying to be really energetic. That’s just what works for me.”
But coming off their first league loss against the Mustangs, Delrosso and the team will regroup and plan for their next game against Hillsdale High School on Tuesday, March 26. According to everyone on the team, the focus going into this week’s matchup against the Knights is working on mental toughness when stepping up to bat.
“[We need] more solid defense,” said Delrosso. “Our pitchers keep us in every game and just looking forward to getting the bats going.”
