The third Palo Alto High School ball flew over the fence and onto Fort Baker Drive.
“Fore!” a parent said, yelling into the street. Other fans chuckled before refocusing on sophomore Danielle Koontz, ready to see if she could keep the Matadors’ shutout alive.
In their first league game of the season, MVHS softball beat PAHS 4-0 on March 18.
After a 1-2-3 inning for the Vikings, sophomore Mika Maenaga hit a double up the third-base line, and advanced to third through a sacrifice bunt by Koontz. Junior Monica McCarthy stepped up to bat and took a swing. A second later, her bat rested on the ground in two clean pieces as everyone looked on in confusion.
“I was so amazed,” McCarthy said. “How did I break my bat?”
McCarthy had never seen a composite bat like her own shattered before, but coach Raymond Teixeira had seen it a handful of times in travel softball.
“It’s a little shocking,” Teixeira said, “It was shocking for her.”
McCarthy and her broken bat returned to the dugout and the inning ended, stranding Maenaga at third. McCarthy borrowed a teammate’s bat for the rest of the game, disappointed to give up the lucky bat that had earned her four triples in the past.
After Koontz’s pitching and senior Janaye Sakkas’ efficient fielding shut down the Viking’s next inning, Maenaga hit an RBI triple, bringing the score up to 3-0, where it would remain for the next four innings.
Photo by Pranav Iyer
In the third inning, a PAHS ball crashed into the bleachers and parents shouted. The next ball startled spectators as well, shaking the metal “No Seeds No Gum” sign that hung on the fence, decorated with gum. PAHS had fouled four straight pitches, and on the next pitch Koontz struck them out.
After two more 1-2-3 innings, PAHS loaded the bases and parents from both teams leaned in. PAHS fans cheered before a ground out at home meant that the Vikings were shut down once again.
In the sixth inning, freshman Aly Olkein slid into second with an RBI double, bringing the Matadors up 4-0.
“Paly, wake up!” a PAHS coach said to his team.
After two more innings, the Matadors put down their bats and picked up their rakes as they talked about their next game.
“We’ve really learned to bounce back from all the losses,” Koontz said, citing the four games they lost in the presason.
Teixeira also credits the team’s improvement to their experience in the preseason.
“We’ve played a heck of a lot of games, I think ten games in twelve days,” Teixeira said. “They learned about what it takes to be successful.”
The Matadors play Mission San Jose High School on March 25 at 4:00 p.m.
