Lady Eagles dance around De Anza, climb above .500

The Lady Eagles softball team climbed above .500 in league play yesterday by defeating De Anza High 25-15. Marred by pitching that at times looked like bowling, Kennedy scored most of its runs on wild pitches and 17 walks.

“We’re definitely not afraid to run the bases,” Lady Eagles’ head coach Amanda Stevens said during the game as she described a trick play designed to score a runner sitting on third base. With nobody out, sophomore Maria Llose took off from first base on a wild pitch, but flopped in the dirt halfway to second feigning an injury. The play didn’t work as De Anza catcher Teioni Porter held on to the ball, holding the base runner on third base.

Then again walks are as good as hits. And with reaching base comes great responsibility. “When we walk we’re not walking or jogging to first base, we are sprinting,” Stevens told her players huddled on the mound after the game. “There were a couple of occasions where we could have taken extra bases but we didn’t. Let’s be more aggressive when it comes to getting walks.”

The biggest takeaway Stevens saw from the game was her team’s enthusiasm and excitement to play. “They showed a lot of spirit and great sportsmanship against the De Anza team,” she said. “We have great players, now it’s just about building teamwork. I know we’re going to NCS. One team, one dream.”

Kennedy’s next game is Friday at Hercules High School.