“Defense wins championships,” the philosophy that so many coaches believe in, including MHS Softball Head Coach Bri Adams.  Over seven days, the Lady Dragons played three games that clearly pointed out the result of good defense and minimizing errors- winning.  Taking some wins and swallowing some losses, the Lady Dragons were reminded the importance of hard work, mental toughness, and going all out and that when they do, they can’t help but dominate the field.

Just days after their long spring break, Malad hosted the tough Logan team to a chilly game of softball.  The combination of a strong opponent and less than favorable weather conditions made for a challenging spring game.

The Grizzlies jumped to an early lead as they scored 3 runs in the opening inning, followed by another in the second inning to go up 0-4.  Logan played well from behind the plate and running bases, but unforced errors on Malad’s part played into the game.  

Despite their efforts from behind the plate, the MHS hitting didn’t last and after three quick outs, the Lady Dragon defense took the field once again, this time making quick work of Logan’s time at bat.  Getting the first out at first base, Malad finished the half with a double play.  Aubrey Shulz at shortstop first scooped up the ground hit, throwing it to Venable to beat the runner.  Just as fast, Venable kicked it back out to Daniels at third where she tagged the runner before making it on base to get the out.

Moving to the bottom half of the inning, Logan Maroney started the Lady Dragons off with a well placed single hit to center field.  Summers followed on base with another single to put two on base.  Playing a little strategy game, Liddia Gonzalez hit a sacrifice bunt, getting out at first but advancing her teammates into scoring positions.  

With runners on second and third, Shulz stepped up to the plate to hit a ground ball outside of second base, batting in Kialey Pickett, courtesy runner for Mulroney, and Summers to bring the score to 2-4.  The Grizzly pitcher picked up the pace from the mound, putting a stop to the MHS hitting with two final strikeouts for the inning. 

Logan added a run in the top of the fifth inning before the quick Malad defense strung together an out followed by a double play.  The defensive effort, clearly bringing some much needed energy to the team, was followed by a home run by Peterson.  Down the line two, Bostyn Combs made a base hit, singling to center field.  Mulroney followed with another great hit, hitting a double bagger to send Combs in to make it a one run game, 4-5. 

After weathering a second out, Gonzalez stepped up to the plate to smash her first high school home run over the fence to help the Lady Dragons take the lead, 6-5.  

Malad’s defense held Logan scoreless once again in the top of the sixth, but also couldn’t make any headway as they stepped up to the plate.  As they played into the final inning, the Grizzlies were far from finished and caught the Lady Dragon defense off guard as they put up three runs to take the lead.  The MHS team was unable to connect with the ball in the final inning, taking the loss 6-8.

Following the game, Head Coach Bri Adams shared, “We beat ourselves in this game.  We were committing errors that were unusual for our team.  Our hitting is far better than what we saw today.  I think this game taught us that if we don’t put in a strong effort and both practice and games, that we can be beat.  It wasn’t our opponent that we had to overcome today.”

Learning from their loss and shaking off the lag of spring break, the Lady Dragons took on Declo Tuesday, April 2 in a very different, far more focused game.  In the first three innings, Malad put up nine runs by Peterson, Combs, Maroney, Summers, and Pickett. 

Declo battled back in the third inning, putting across three runs of their own.  But it was a Lady Dragon defense that dominated the final innings of the game to win 10-3.  The MHS defense was led by Gonzalez who pitched a stellar game from the mound, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits, striking out 14 and walking zero.  

Commenting on the defense, Coach Adams said, “This game was such a difference from yesterday.  Zero errors!  It is awesome to see them learn from their mistakes and tighten up their defense.  Their resilience and toughness is what makes them a great team.” 

Following the weekend, the Lady Dragons hit the road to take on Skyview, another challenging Utah team.  It was a game dominated by defense with only a few key offensive plays and defensive stops that decided the game.  At the end of the night, it was the team with the least errors that eventually won out.    

Putting up the first score of the game, Skyview took a 0-1 lead in the first inning.  Both teams went scoreless in the second and third innings before the two teams went run for run in the fourth and fifth innings, to begin the seventh inning 2-3.  With two outs already and two runners on base, Shulz stepped up to the plate, a proven fighter in the batter’s box.  

Down on the count 1-2, Shulz knew that she had to protect and swing at anything close to the strike zone.  As the ball was pitched, she connected with the ball, hitting it wide of second base, bouncing past the shortstop.  Missing the catch to make the play, the Skyview error not only allowed Shulz to make it on base but also time enough for both base runners to make it home, the Lady Dragons taking the lead 4-3.   

Up by only one run, it was crucial for Malad to play perfect defense in order to win the game.  The Lady Dragons forced two quick outs at first base before Skyview popped a ball up to the outfield to get a runner on base.  As the next batter connected with the ball, Gonzalez in right field was able to get under it, catching the pop fly for the final out of the game.

“It was such a good game!!” cheered Coach Adams. “My thoughts are defense wins. We had 2 errors and they had 3 and it cost them the game.”  Commenting on their hitting as well, she continued, “The girls had a slow start with their hitting but by the end they were all hitting and doing really well. Their pitcher was throwing really hard so once we adjusted we did really well.” 

The Lady Dragons will host the West Side Pirates on Wednesday, April 9th before hitting the road over the weekend to compete in the Glenns Ferry tournament April 11-12.