Middle School Girls Softball Team Wins Championship Title

On May 4, the Crossroads girls Middle School softball team was crowned champion of the Pacific Basin League in a 5-2 victory over Westside Neighborhood School (WNS). The game was the culmination of a season of growth for this year’s Roadrunners team.  

At the start of the season, the biggest challenge that coaches Jen Anderson ’94 and Brandy Friedlander faced was coaching a team with such a wide variety of skill levels. “There was a big discrepancy of students who had played several years before to those who had never touched a softball,” said Jen.

But as the team’s newcomers honed their skills and experienced players stepped up as leaders, the girls’ camaraderie gave the team a new life. “No matter who made a good play, everyone was high-fiving or yelling, ‘Great play!’ when they came off the field,” said Brandy. Slowly, the team started winning, building confidence as the team approached a playoff run.

The girls were still nervous heading into the championship game against WNS—a team they hadn’t yet beat. But in the first inning, the Roadrunners scored three runs after getting four hits in a row, giving them an early lead and setting the tone for the rest of the game. Seventh grade pitcher Della Polk went 3-for-3, including a home run and a walk. Seventh grader Fiona Yi and eight grader Shane O’Sullivan racked in three hits apiece, while seventh grader Quinn Womack rounded out the offense with an additional two hits. On defense, Della, Fiona and eighth grader Jessie Greene stopped any offensive push by WNS. Crossroads’ sixth grade second baseman, Ella Townsend, fielded a hard ground ball and threw to first for the final play of the game. 

As the Roadrunners rushed onto the field to congratulate each other, they high-fived in excitement. That feeling spilled over into the days that followed. “They were super proud,” said Brandy. “I saw them the next day and they had bigger smiles than I’d ever seen even just from the excitement of it.”