With sweat running down their cheeks and emotions riding high, the three seniors on the women’s varsity softball team—Tatum Mach, Lia Oremland and Avery Snyder—hugged their teammates after the game ended.
On Friday, April 24, GDS beat D.C. International (DCI) 19–2 on senior night. The Hoppers are now 7–2 in the Independent School League (ISL).
After the game, players, friends and family celebrated Snyder, Mach and Oremland. Coaches and teammates gave speeches, and the seniors received gift baskets and flowers to recognize their contributions to the team over the past four years. All three seniors have been on the softball team since their freshman year.
The game began 30 minutes late after thunder caused a delay. The first inning started off slow for DCI—GDS quickly retired DCI’s first three hitters.
In the bottom of the first inning, the DCI pitcher struggled to throw strikes—most of her pitches either soared above the batters’ heads or hit the ground. She walked four batters, giving GDS its first run of the game.
Despite even more rain, the game kept on, and the Hoppers continued to dominate. GDS went through their entire lineup and the inning ended with a score of 13–0.
At the top of the second inning, the entire women’s lacrosse team came to cheer. The stands were full by the bottom of the second inning, and spectators held up posters for the seniors.
The score stood at 19–2 with two outs in the bottom of the third inning, and after GDS tagged out a DCI player at first base, the Hoppers emerged victorious.
In high school softball, games generally last seven innings. However, the game ends if either team has a 15-run lead after three innings.
After high-fiving the other team, GDS’ players circled up with friends and family to hear speeches for senior night. First, head coach Donna Stallworth gave a speech about all three seniors and had them pose with their families for a picture before handing off the mic. Sophomores Lindsay Fuzesi and Rachel Hellman gave speeches about Mach and Oremland, respectively, and juniors Natalie Ogden and Isabella Yip both spoke about Snyder.
“[The seniors] have been on the team for four years, so it’s really exciting to see them grow as players,” assistant coach Bryan Williams said.
The team’s next game is at home against Jackson-Reed High School on Wednesday, April 29 at 4:15 p.m.