On Tuesday, October 6th, the South Forsyth War Eagles dominated the Gainesville Red Elephants at the memorable senior night varsity softball doubleheader. 

The night of victory began with a tribute to the graduating seniors:  Katie Traynor (#5), Hannah Marchman (#6), Makenna Segal (#10), Katie Jenkins (#11), Chloe Traynor (#13), and Ruthie Allen (#22). Each senior had previously recorded audio where they reflected on their season and high school experience, and these audio files played over the loud-speakers as each senior walked onto the center of the field with their family. As they walked to the center of the field, the players accepted bouquets of flowers and hugs from their coaches and teammates. The War Eagles then showed great sportsmanship and respect by graciously handing flowers to the seniors on the Gainesville team as well. 

Segal shared after the game that “being a senior during senior night is a mix of emotions. As cool as it is to be honored, it’s a very bittersweet moment as it recognizes that our softball career at South Forsyth is almost over which is very sad to think about.”

After the touching moment of reflection and acknowledgment for the seniors, it was time to play ball. The War Eagles sprinted onto the field for the first game with confidence and took their positions as the first Gainesville batter, Keel, stepped up to the plate. After a groundout and two strikeouts, courtesy of Marchman’s skilled pitching, the top of the first inning ended with no runs. The game was looking good for the War Eagles, who then scored ten times in the bottom of the first inning. 

The game continued to favor the War Eagles. In the first inning, the Gainesville pitcher walked four batters, benefiting the strong War Eagles by allowing them to quickly load the bases and continue to score. In the following inning, the same pattern occurred where the Gainesville team quickly went out with no runs, and the War Eagles achieved another 3 runs. The same score pattern occurred for the third inning as well, leaving the supportive South Forsyth crowd in high spirits. Finally, in the fourth inning, the mercy rule ended the game, proving that the South Forsyth War Eagles dominated the game with an end score of 16-0. 

All of the players then had the opportunity to visit with their family and friends in the crowd for a quick break before jumping into game two.

The War Eagles entered the field with a desire to win again. The seniors played infield, to celebrate one of their final games together. They continued to play hard, not letting their prior triumph get to their heads. In the first and second innings, the Red Elephants had no hits, whereas the War Eagles continued to advance in strides. In the third inning, Iris Woods hit a single for Gainesville, allowing for a moment of cheer for the opponent. However, the game ended shortly after, leaving the War Eagles with an impressive score of 22-0.

The War Eagles ended the doubleheader coming out on top with two massive wins under their belt. Make sure to check out the South Forsyth Varsity Softball schedule to see the stellar Lady War Eagles in action at their next game.