On Friday, May 29th, the BHS softball team played in this year’s sectional finals, which took place at home, here at BHS. According to Mr. Hoppe, the last time softball was in the sectional finals was 1989. “This was their one and only sectional title.” So, this year will only be the second time in BHS history, that our softball team has made it to the sectionals. 1989, was also the only year that baseball and softball were in the sectionals at the same time. Mr. Hoppe said, “They both won their first sectionals in 1989. So we are hoping to repeat history. Robin Egerter was the head softball coach. And we both won sectional titles together in 1989. It was a lot of fun.”
When Caroline Baratta, a sophomore was asked about how the team prepared, she said, “We prepared for the game by having loose practices and by just playing relaxed.” According to Ali Kramer, the team’s preparation for sectionals was not very different from its regular practices. But, Ali explained that it is all about the mindset of the team. “In the back of our minds, we know we’re playing for survival at this point in the season basically, but we’re the kind of team that takes the game one inning at a time, stopping us from getting ahead of ourselves because anything can happen at any given time.”
The upcoming graduation makes the end of the season bittersweet for the seniors. A lot of memories are associated with the team for the seniors on the team. Senior Holly Lallis said, “As a whole, our high school career started off a little shaky but we have progressed and we have come so far. I think our best season is this year’s. We went undefeated in our division (making us division champs) and we made it very far in both the county and state tournaments.” Senior Ali Kramer feels similarly, as she reflects on her high school softball career, “I couldn’t think of a better way to end my high school career. I couldn’t be prouder of my team and all we’ve accomplished this year. The seniors this year are especially ecstatic considering we experienced first hand the growth that this team has gone through the past four years. We’ve worked so hard to get to where we are right now and it really couldn’t be a better way to wrap up the season, no matter what happens.”
The players were very excited about the game and they remained positive despite the loss. They emotionally prepared for a win or loss before the game. Prior to the game, Sophomore Caroline Baratta said, “I’m really excited about the [game] because we’ve been having a great year and our team hasn’t been this far in awhile and it’s really exciting. We are all very confident in each other and we all know we have each others back no matter what happens.” Ali said, “I know that no matter what happens I’ll probably be crying, but it’s really out of the love I have for this team and how proud I am of us and how far we’ve come. This season has been amazing. We clinched a division title, made it to semis in the county tournament, and are now playing for our survival in the state sectional finals. Considering the team hasn’t seen a trophy in a few decades, and knowing that we were able to change that is incredibly satisfying. It’s been a fun ride this past 4 years, and this year was the cherry on top.”
Mr. Hoppe was also confident about this game. He said “I am just looking forward to history repeating itself. The girls are prepared and battle tested as well. It would be second ever in school’s history. It is exciting, when you think about it, it is hard to do. If you win sectionals, you are in the top four programs of your size in the state of New Jersey. That is a major accomplishment.” With all of the anticipation of sectionals, the team, despite the loss, is proud of all they have accomplished this season.
The sectionals resulted in Bernard’s 13-2 loss, but the team fought through, and still ended up with incredible results this season. Still, even making it to sectionals is an amazing achievement. Senior Jill Reinen, a senior, says “Even though I wish we could have gone all the way, I am still super proud of my team and all we accomplished this year.” And Senior Erika Eveleth explains, “It [the loss] was hard at the time, but reflecting back on it, that game doesn’t really define our season. In the scheme of things, it doesn’t really matter because we accomplished all of our goals. The hardest part is knowing that we are never gonna play as a team again, which really hit hard.”
