After their season-opening Rockwood Summit Tournament was cancelled because of rain, the varsity softball team finally got their season started this week.

The girls came out strong with a nail-biting 4-3 win over Fox on Sept. 4 at Rich Sturm Sr. Field.

The first three innings were scoreless until the bottom of the third when Ella Strickland (11) drove in a run off a double down the third baseline allowing the Tigers to take a 1-0 lead. Calynn Gicante (12) added to the score by driving in a runner off a single that snuck past the shortstop. 

Maddie Kilburn (11) then gave the Tigers some leeway when she drove in a run off a sacrifice fly during the bottom of the fourth giving Tigers the 3-0 lead. Fox later on scored two in the top of the fifth making it a close 3-2 game. Abby Alonzo (11) was able to drive  in a run with two outs later in the inning to regain OHS’s two-run lead. Fox was able to score again, but thanks to the girls rock solid defense, and a strong five innings pitched by Gicante and Alonzo — who allowed no hits the rest of the way — the Tigers were able to escape with a 4-3 win.

“That was a tough game from the first out all the way to the last, ” said head coach Rich Sturm. “We’re proud of the effort and hope to build on that and get better as the season goes on.”

The Tigers had a hard time getting their season started considering all the rain that hit late in the preseason, but now that the season has started the girls plan to improve and keep working together as a team.

“We have a team that has a lot of talent but also a lot of heart,” said Sturm. “That’s what I think makes this team have the potential to be special. The talent is there but you have to play with heart, and with these girls that desire is there.”