Athabasca’s Bantam girls softball team got their season started with a pair of games last week.
On May 8 the girls were in Dapp to take on a team from Jarvie, while on May 10 they were home in Athabasca at Jubilee Ball Park.
It was a slow but steady start to the season as Athabasca lost both games, but improved significantly in the second one according to head coach Trevor Martin.
“(In Dapp) they were getting their legs under them. We struggled with our hitting. In the latter part of the game we kept up with them pretty good, but in the beginning we got dominated,” he said of the game, which resulted in a lopsided loss for the local girls.
The girls made use of the lessons they learned against Jarvie in their game against Barrhead. Though they fell short of notching their first win of the season, the game was much closer (16-13) and they kept pace with Barrhead throughout the game.
“The girls were hitting well and fielding well,” said the coach. “It was a big improvement.”
The team will hit the field for practice on Tuesday before playing another home game against Westlock on Thursday. This time the girls will be at their true ‘home field’, Jewell Park. The game will begin at 6:45 p.m.
It’s a short season for the local team, wrapping up in June, and though wins are important, the coach places a higher priority on enjoyment.
“They’re having fun, and that’s the main thing,” he said. “It’ll come together. We’ll be right in the hunt in all of our games.”
