April 20, 2019
By Alexa Barreiros
Editor
It was a windy Wednesday afternoon on April 3 when the softball team won 3-0 against New Milford High School at the Lyndhurst Recreational Fields. With each gust of wind, these players persevered to achieve that first league win at their home opener.
Freshman pitcher Ella Tozduman paved a hard path for the New Milford players to gain any runs.
“I was able to throw right at each player and give them strike after strike. Therefore, [I was] always staying ahead in the count, striving for that strikeout and not letting up,” Tozduman said. “That limited the base runners, which allowed us to not give up any runs.”
Tozduman said the most satisfying part of the game was being able to end it with a shutout. Senior captain Angela Downey, junior Mackenzie Kelly and junior Madison Schaefer each contributed to the shutout by scoring one run each.
With each of these runs came cheers from sophomore Alexa Borino and senior Gabby Swope, who were unable to play due to a rule that requires transfer students to sit out for the first 30 days of the competitive season.
“They have been doing a great job contributing to our team in the ways they can by cheering us on, practicing with us and doing the team book,” Tozduman said.
Junior Elaina Henning said winning the first game of the season helped her realize her team’s potential.
“I think we all played pretty well that game. Our heads were in it, and we stayed positive the whole game,” Henning said. “Since we have such a young team, everyone is very close, which helps a lot with the chemistry on the field.”
Henning said she believes the team will become even stronger as the season continues and the players gain experience.
“I think we have definitely improved since that game with the energy and our defense. It’s getting better and better with each game we play,” Henning said.
Head Coach Ringen, who has been leading the team for six years, said she is proud of how the girls played in their season opener.
“We always set goals to send a message in our county, league and state. New Milford is a tough team, so we showed Lyndhurst High School softball that day,” Ringen said.
Like Henning, Ringen said her hope is that the team continues to improve.
“My goal each game is to win every inning,” Ringen said. “I definitely think we could have scored more on them, but it’s early in the season. We’ll score more on them next game.”
LHS will be playing New Milford again at an away game on April 25.
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