Cape softball rally comes up short against Caravel
In a quest to become the first team in Delaware to defeat Caravel Academy, the Cape softball team was unsuccessful. Although they fell 6-3, the Vikings gave themselves a chance after trailing 5-0 in the fourth inning.
“There's a reason why [Caravel is] No. 1 in the state, but I was very proud of our girls,” Cape coach Mike Tkach said. “We just need to find that consistency. They kind of jumped on us pretty early, and then it took us a while until we got going with the bats – and that's our strength. I'm very proud of the fight that our girls gave.”
Cape junior pitcher Abigail Marsh walked one across a complete game, but she was tagged for 12 hits and six runs (four earned). Striking out three, Marsh challenged hitters effectively through the first two frames, but the Bucs’ offense came alive with three runs in the third and two runs in the fourth.
The Vikings’ response resulted in two runs across the fourth and fifth. Alivia Longo scored Cape’s first run on a Marsh single after the sophomore pinch-ran for senior Jay’Lyn Slater and swiped second base. Junior Ava Calciano roped a double into center to plate Kenna Justice and make it 5-2 heading into the final two frames.
Caravel junior Zayda Rocke extended the lead to 6-2 with a rocket over the left-field fence. Hayden Hudson’s one-out single and Marsh’s double gave Cape two runners in scoring position with one out in the fifth. Unfortunately, back-to-back strikeouts stranded the duo.
Notching a 1-2-3 inning in the seventh, the Vikings gave themselves a chance heading into their final three outs. Eden Frederick’s one-out single paved the way for junior Alivia Heers to drive in the junior with a two-out single. Pinch-running for Heers, Longo advanced to third on Slater’s base hit.
Representing the tying run, Hayden Hudson stepped up to the plate with runners on the corner. The junior battled back from down 0-2 to set up a tense 2-2 pitch. As Hudson reared back in an attempt to keep the rally going, the ball dipped quickly into the dirt, evading metal.
“Any coach in any sport will tell you that if you have the heart and the never-quit attitude, you’re going to do OK, and our girls have that,” Tkach said.
Demonstrating their coach’s glowing assessment, the girls had a quick turnaround and squared off May 14 against Padua Academy in an away game. Sailing to a 6-2 victory, the Vikings jumped out to a 3-0 in the top of the first thanks to a three-run homer off the bat of Marsh. Padua struck back in the bottom half, scoring two, but those would be the only runs the Pandas scored. Cape scored another three runs in the top of the second off RBI hits from Calciano, Slater and Hudson to seal the deal.
