CIF Arcadia Softball vs. Great Oak

By JULIETTE FANG Staff Writer

With a crowd cheering them on, the Arcadia High School (AHS) Girls Varsity Softball team went up against Great Oak High School (GOHS) for an exciting game in the first round of the 2023 CIF Southern Section (SS) Division 2. Held on May 3, the game ended with an unfortunate loss of 0-5 for Arcadia, making it the last game of their season. Regardless, the Lady Apaches played very well and persisted throughout the game.

“Performance wise, it was a flat game on our side of the field, but our dugout never gave up,” commented senior Giselle Lai. “The girls on the bench were supporting our pitcher, and came at a cost, as the Arcadia player on third base, junior Virginia Garcia-Torres, was injured, the second Apache in the game to do so. Fortunately, she too was able to get back in the game. Despite that, the inning was still a success with two outs being made prior to the injury.

Almaraz commented that Garcia-Torres “did very [well] that game [and] she put her body on the line a lot…but she was very aggressive and did very well.”

One of the greatest challenges of the game was overcoming how intimidating the other team was. However, it would prove to be a learning experience in just how much a player’s mindset can affect their performance.

“I believed we all learned, and confirmed, that softball is a mental sport,” stated Lai. “Had