With a league as competitive as ours, King Softball has no choice but to face the toughest teams around to ensure that the squad is battle-tested and prepared for everything that the Big 8 teams will bring.

Opening day of the Pacifica tournament gave us just what we were looking for. King dropped game one of the season by a score of 6-3 after leading for the first half of the game to a strong Oaks Christian team, but were able to reset quickly and celebrate with a walkoff win in extra innings to take the nightcap against Los Altos by a score of 2-1.

Both opponents had strong pitching and lethal lineups serving as great tests for us right out of the gate. There were a lot of positives that came from the first two games giving us glimpses of the good things ahead as well as areas that we need to strengthen.

Defensively, the Wolves had some key web gems by Cheri Thompson and Janai Davis and were carried in the circle by all 3 pitchers giving us confidence in our staff’s ability to work together and complement each other. The staff is led by juniors Kenzie Carlone and Jaydan Ybarra and joined by the freshman southpaw, Ryder Bishop. All three arms combined to hold opponents to a .224 average while striking out 13 and only surrendering two extra base hits in 15 innings of work. Offensively, King had a slower start than we would have liked, but senior Callie Portillo had an excellent day at the plate with a single, a double and a triple over the two games. With the potential our lineup brings, we are really focusing on what’s going on between the ears. They all have great swings. They all know how to hit. The key is for them to remember that and trust their skills, preparation and process.

Next up is our home opener at the den on Wednesday versus Vista Murrieta. We are looking forward to some more quality at bats. Clutch pitching and solid defense as we strive to get better every game.