By Morgan Kacalek
After a challenging season last year, ending with elimination in the second round of playoffs, the Panthers are coming out strong this season with intentions of advancing all the way to a section championship and eventually a state championship game. After just 6 weeks, they stand with a record of 6–0 as they prepare to take down Vintage and St. Francis next weekend.
The Panthers first official game took place on February 22 when they faced Liberty High School and won 7–5 after a competitive game where they had a total of 6 hits with 4 RBI’s. Benicia then defeated Northgate on February 26 in their second game of the season that ended in an 11–1 score due to the run-rule. Last week, the Panthers headed to Modesto to compete in the Rainbow High School tournament at Rainbow Fields in Modesto, where they again walked away undefeated going 4–0 against Escalon, Livingston, Central Valley, and Calaveras.
Looking forward, Benicia will play Vintage and St. Francis next week at Vintage High School. The Vintage Crushers currently sit with a record of 2–1 after a 4–3 loss against Cal High and an 11–1 win over Granada last week. Vintage has always proved to be tough competition for Benicia, but this year the Panthers have come out strong and hungry for victory. Coach Kristen Grubbs says, “Vintage typically has good pitching and some very good hitters.” She says one important thing the team will be working on this week to prepare for the game is baserunning. “Being smart on the bases and taking an extra base if it’s there will definitely help,” Grubbs says.
This season is proving to be something special for Benicia High School softball. Times Herald Athlete of the Week and San Diego State commit, Emma French says, “I am just looking forward to playing with the team because the bond we have is really fun to be around and compete with.” Like always, the Panthers are determined to get back the success they had two years ago when they clutched a section championship title and made it to the state championship. French says, “The main goal of the team is to make it all the way to state while winning sections along the way. Our goal is to make it as far as we know we can.” In order to achieve this success again, Coach Grubbs explains how she wants the girls to focus more on the little things they could improve on. “Working our fundamentals and talking out [and] walking through different scenarios so we can identify them in game play,” she says, will be very beneficial.
So far the Lady Panthers are off to a terrific start towards their goals. As they currently stand undefeated, they are definitely on the right track to be more successful than ever.
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