Seahawks bounce back to fend off Raiders in Henlopen South softball
A resilient Sussex Academy softball team withstood a leadoff home run from Woodbridge’s Kimora Harris to pull through with a 3-1 victory April 17.
“The first batter today, we're down 1-0,” coach Gerald Jester said. “We could have moped and pouted, and we didn't – we just battled, battled, battled and pulled out the W.”
Carson Gesuero was in the circle for the Seahawks and battened down the hatches immediately following the solo shot.
“I went out in that circle and I told her ‘Look, we gotta score runs to win this game so, let's get out there; your defense has your back,” Delainie Monitzer said. “We played amazing defense today – seems like we've been doing that the past couple of games – and [Gesuero] just keeps pitching. She was wheeling and dealing out there.”
The senior surrendered just three more hits and collected 12 strikeouts against a Blue Raiders offense more familiar with crooked numbers than the straight line they were held to.
“The first inning, it was kind of rocky, but then I kind of settled in,” Gesuero said. “It's just coming straight out of the gate with that dog mentality, we like to call it.”
Gesuero praised the girls behind her.
“It’s all about trust; we have a lot of young girls, but even though they're young, their skill set is just crazy good,” Gesuero said. “I trust them completely behind me.”
While the defense fended off the Blue Raiders’ offensive, the offense performed knowing runs would be at a premium.
“We have been working hard on small ball, moving runners up when things happen, trying to create a couple of runs when we're not hitting the ball,” Jester said. “We did that today, and the young girls came up big. Carson was big on the mound, Delainie’s big behind the plate, and it was pretty much a team effort today.”
Sussex Academy put up a run in each of the third, fourth and fifth innings to pull out the win. Eighth-graders Danica Bergh and Ashlyn Troxler each had a pair of hits and drove in one run. Outfielders Ryan Lowe and eighth-grader Emma Orlen both doubled and each scored a run.
The third run, scored in the fifth, came on a double steal that led to Monitzer sliding through a cloud of dust and into home for the insurance run.
“I got quicker this off-season; Jester told me when I was at third, ‘If they throw it, you're gonna go,’” Monitzer said. “He said, ‘Go! Go! Go!’ and I know how to slide in there, so I just got in there.”
Then win came after a pair of tough losses to Henlopen powerhouses Cape and Lake Forest.
“Champions don't focus on the past, they focus on the present – how are we going to respond to this?” Monitzer told her team before the April 17 game. “We responded great to this, and we’ll just keep working hard.”
Continuing to show their grit, Sussex Academy upended Delaware Military Academy 4-3 April 19. Gesuero started the game before sophomore Rogue Garcia came in with two on and one out in the bottom of the sixth inning to preserve the winning margin and collect a save. Monitzer notched two hits, scored twice and drove in a run.
