CHRISTY FLOM ’13 | Online Clubs Editor

This past weekend the girl’s varsity softball team competed in tournament play at Fitzgerald High School, varsity head coach Nicole Crane said.

The team went 2-1 in pool play to make it to the championship game, and ended up winning the tournament, captain Gretchen Shirar ’13 said.

“This was a great tournament for us to win this year,” said Shirar. “We won the same tournament last year, so for us to come out strong and play well after losing three of four games in our previous tournament, this was a huge improvement on our season.”

Two weekends ago, the team went 1-3 in the Anchor Bay tournament. It beat Roseville High School, but fell short to Troy, Eisenhower and L’Anse Cruese North High Schools, Crane said.

“It (the tournament) had good competition and the team really stepped up its play and came together,” said Crane.

Despite losing three of the four games, Crane said the team showed a lot of confidence in one another and demonstrated the amount of talent the team possesses.

Bright spots of the tournament were Shirar, Christy Tech ’14 and Katie Kish ’14. Crane added that Shirar showed tremendous leadership as catcher throughout the tournament.

“She (Shirar) is a true leader, has a ton of heart, and is a great player!” said Crane.

The team is still in the race for the league title and Crane said competing hard in districts is always a goal every year.

“My assistant and I tell the kids that softball is a contact sport,” said Crane, “and to play hard and expect the game to get rough.”

Having already gone through each team in their league once, Shirar said she believes the team has a good chance of winning more games the second time around.

Senior captain Bella Blondell added the team has been playing well against some higher division teams and hopes to continue this style of play as the season continues.

“We’ve had strong hitting and fielding so far,” said Blondell, “and we are ready to continue playing and beating more teams.”

Overall, several key players continue to lead the team in league play, too, Crane said. Captain Brigid Walkowski ’12 has continued to be a strong pitcher, despite a big shoulder injury, while Marie Monark ’13, Kish and Blondell have also helped keep the scores close.

South travels to Port Huron High School today to continue league play. It takes on Roseville High School at home on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m.