GIRLS SOFTBALL

By Stephen Janes

With high expectations this year, everyone is expecting a lot out of the Lady Eagles softball team. Although they are heavily favored in the Bay League to take the championship for a fourth straight year, one team can only do so much. The Lady Eagles are also looking to make the CIF playoffs.

“We have played ok, but not to our potential,” said Head Coach Keith Cameron about how he feels his team has done thus far into the season. “We have not done well in the clutch so far at the plate. The girls need to approach their at bats better and with more confidence. We have played well defensively, except in certain games.”

In the Downey Tournament, El Segundo did fairly well, placing 5^th overall. However, being the fifth best team out of 36 is nothing to sneeze at. “I am satisfied with the whole team, although we need to play as a team on a more consistent basis,” said Coach Cameron. “I have to be happy with the pitching performances of both Jessica Doucette and Lauren Bargmann, proving why we have the best pitching staff in the South Bay.”

After the tournament, the Lady Eagles took on Santa Monica in their first League game of the season. El Segundo made little work of Santa Monica as the Eagles won by a score of 4-0. Doucette was on fire as she threw a no-hitter, while striking out 14 batters. Jenna Coburn got two of the Lady Eagles hits, and also scored a run.

The second league game of the season was against South Torrance. Both teams entered this game very confident that they would leave the field with the victory. In the last inning, the Lady Eagles sort of broke apart. A blunder allowed the South Torrance winning run to cross the plate as El Segundo lost 2-3 and dropped to 1-1 in league.

“We had a huge letdown against South, and I hope that game does not come back to haunt us in our quest for a league title,” said Coach Cameron.

The Lady Eagles then took out their frustration on Hawthorne. The game only lasted five innings, but Bargmann still managed to get the shutout. She also allowed just one hit and a walk, while striking out eight hitters. Without normal starters in the lineup, El Segundo made easy work of the Cougars as the game ended in an 11-0 victory.

At home against Torrance, El Segundo continued their dominance with a 3-0 victory. Jessica Doucette pitched very well, only allowing three hits and a walk while striking out 16 in a complete game/shutout performance. At the batters box, Coburn slapped for two hits and scored a run. Coburn was matched by Ciji Rich, who also got two hits and scored a run. Jamie Escalante only had one hit in two at-bats, but her only hit was a double in the outfield gap.

In a showdown against North Torrance, the Lady Eagles looked to make this game one worth watching. The game was highlighted by Doucette and her 20 strike outs. She also allowed only two hits and a walk, but no runners crossed home plate. Doucette also scored the game’s first run in the sixth inning. She couldn’t score the run however without a single from Caitlin Heck, which trickled past the second baseman. Rich scored the only other run in the contest when Aimie Glotz hit a blooper over the shortstop’s head. Six hits were all that El Segundo needed in this game, as the Lady Eagles won the game 2-0.

Now 4-1 in league, the Lady Eagles are still in the hunt for a CIF playoff berth. Coach Cameron said that he would like to improve the team chemistry. “We need to play as a unit more often. Players need to quit being so concerned with their individual stats, and focus on the team aspect. We need to improve on our hitting in the clutch, and also our aggressiveness at the plate. Our discipline at the plate has been good, but some of the players have not been aggressive enough. We need to change this as we head into the meat of our league schedule in the second half of the season.”