On their senior night, the Baldwin girls softball team came back to defeat Bethel Park on Wednesday, 11-6.
Senior Avery Herrington described senior night as a game she will never forget.
“It felt amazing, and I felt so supported. Seeing all the people I love taking time to come watch my game was so sweet, and it overall made me relaxed and motivated,” she said.
Baldwin was down in the third inning, but a triple by senior Reese Temme tied up the game.
“The turning point in the game was when Reese was able to tie it up. It really brought everyone back into the game and made us refocus and get back into the team we usually are,” senior Kenzie Bowen said.
Herrington agreed.
“Reese kept us in the game not only with her hits but with her motivation to keep us engaged the entire time,” she said.
Temme credited the team for the comeback.
“We stepped up when we needed to when we were down,” she said. “We were able to come back and fight through.”
Junior Melina DeFelice and Bowen also stood out for the Highlanders, Temme said.
“Melina came in clutch with her pitching and shutting it out for us,” she said. “Kenzie had some good hits, and in general, our bats came alive, and we produced when we needed to.”
Herrington complimented DeFelice for her pitching.
“Melina pitched her hardest, striking people out and making it difficult for Bethel to work back,” she said.
Temme also credited the bench for keeping the energy high.
“The bench was hype, and they were screaming, and honestly, we couldn’t have done it without them,” she said. “They’re our motivation, so hearing them scream really gets you hyped up and want to win the game.”
Temme credited Bethel for playing a strong game.
“They hit the ball well, and they made us work,” she said.
Temme believes the team needs to work on getting on the board early.
“We need to jump out earlier, and make sure we’re hitting in timely manners early in the game and working together to back up our pitchers,” she said. “Other than that, I think our energy is bringing us back through games, and we’re able to finish in ways that we need to.”
Bowen is excited for what the rest of the season will bring.
“The season is going amazingly. We are undefeated in our section, and I couldn’t ask for a better senior year,” she said. “For the rest of the season, I am hoping to go as far as we can, hopefully winning our section and WPIALs.”
With the win, the team is 11-1 overall, with a 9-0 record in WPIAL Class 5A Section 4 play.
Herrington looks for fan support for the team’s upcoming section games.
“We play Albert Gallatin (away) on Monday, then Wednesday and Thursday we play Trinity and Thomas Jefferson at home,” she said. “We need all the support we can get.”
