Shadow Ridge blanks Liberty in softball — PHOTOS
The Shadow Ridge softball team couldn’t have hoped for a better start to league play.
The Mustangs, No. 4 in the Review-Journal’s Class 5A rankings, earned a 7-0 home win over No. 3 Liberty on Wednesday.
“To come out against a team like that in the first league game really sets a precedent for us this season,” Shadow Ridge coach Julia Meyn said. “We need to battle like that every time and not let our guard down.”
Josslin Law had a sensational game for Shadow Ridge (7-2, 1-0 5A Mountain League), which is on a four-game winning streak. She pitched all seven innings, allowing only two hits with 16 strikeouts. She also went 1-for-2 with a triple and an RBI at the plate.
“She’s stoic,” Meyn said. “She is dialed in this season, she’s a true leader, she’s a warrior. Nothing seems to faze her; she just keeps throwing.”
Liberty (12-5, 0-1) had won four of its past five games.
The Mustangs established their dominance early. Law and catcher Jacobi Gledhill linked up well to quickly strike out the Patriots, and Shadow Ridge took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first.
In the third inning, hits from Maddie Foster, Gledhill and Law increased the Mustangs’ lead to 5-0. Shadow Ridge added two more runs in the fourth inning, helped by one of Liberty’s four errors in the game.
Gledhill went 2-for-3 with two RBIs for the Mustangs. Vanessa Saenz and Morgyn Vesco managed the only two hits for the Patriots.
“The girls, they lined their bats up, they linked them together,” Meyn said. “They played together. They cheered each other on. They played like a family out there, which is amazing.”
The teams are scheduled to meet again April 21 at Liberty.
Shadow Ridge next plays at Sierra Vista at 10 a.m. Saturday. Liberty will host Arbor View at noon Saturday.
