Sophomore pitcher Krista Kelly threw 14 strikeouts and the George Mason varsity girls softball team earned its first win in league play since 2002 as the Mustangs downed the Manassas Park Cougars 8-1 on April 27.
Sophomore pitcher Krista Kelly threw 14 strikeouts and the George Mason varsity girls softball team earned its first win in league play since 2002 as the Mustangs downed the Manassas Park Cougars 8-1 on April 27.
After that momentous upset, Mason won another district game on May 14 after staging a furious rally to overcome Rappahannock High, 7-6.
After jumping out to an early 3-0 lead, the Mustangs entered the bottom of the sixth trailing Rappahannock 6-4. With one out, base hits came from Johanna Roche and Kelly to move and score Rachel Pugh.
Now trailing 6-5, the Mustangs’s D shut-down the Panthers in the seventh.
Mason’s Julie Hillegass started the bottom of the seventh by advancing to first after being hit by a pitch. Maggie Dassira then hit a double to move Hillegass to third and Nicole Iraheta got hold of a single to tie the game.
With runners at second and third and two outs, Annie Price hit the game-winning shot to give the Mustangs the emotional 7-6 victory.
Fourth-year head coach Jon Kelly, Krista’s father, says that his team is dominated by freshmen and sophomores.
“We’re very young,” Kelly said. “The team’s working so hard during their practices and it’s starting to show in their games. They’re achieving their goals each time we play. They’ve got a really bright future ahead of them.”
When asked how his team reacted to the win over the Cougars, Kelly replied, “They were so excited — It’s hard to express it. I was really excited for them and very proud of them. They’re coming together as a team, and I’m very impressed.”
The Mustangs will look to get a playoff win on Monday, May 24.
