Final report

Norton High softball girls preparing
for the big game

     Norton High School softball played against Fairhaven on Thursday, June 4th. The end result was a win by Norton with a score of 1-0, making the record now 19-2-0. The crowd full of students, parents and teachers cheered as the game came to an end. The softball girls will advance to the next game on Sunday, June 7th at 3:00pm against Bishop Stang.
     The Opposing team, Fairhaven fought back with just as much intensity. They appeared confident but couldn't seem to get a good enough hit off of the ball. By the 5th inning, Fairhaven seemed to be getting tired but kept the swings coming. "They held us very well" said Cibotti. Norton and Fairhaven were neck and neck, until the lucky hit that gave Norton their one point lead. "In the end we ended up with the run we needed to pull through with a win", Taylor Cibotti. 
    "It was an exciting, yet nerve wrecking game." said Taylor Cibotti, sophomore at Norton High. The season for the Norton High softball team has been a long one but they continue to fight for the win. The girls have worked together all season long to stay in the competition. "No one expected us to come into this season and do such a good job, but we showed them." said senior, captain, Kylie Barrows. As a captain, Kylie helped lead her team to victory.

Norton High softball team after the victory 

     Junior captain, Carli Arcaro, stepped up to bat and hit the ball on the first pitch, making it to first base before the ball did. Taylor Cibotti, Leah Buttner, Kylie Barrows and a few other team mates got hits off of the ball though not all of them made it to the first base before the ball did. Carli was pleased with the way they played. "We played great and worked awesome as a team to collectively get the win with helpful catches in the outfield and smart plays in the infield, not to mention the huge RBI by Leah Buttner to give us the winning run." said Carli. It was a tough fight to hold the lead. Carli was also awarded player of the game by her coach, Wade Lizotte. "Great job behind the plate. 4 for 4 with 3 singles and a three run HR" he said.

     The outfield remained on their toes ready for any ball throughout the whole game. And the infield was prepared for anything as well. They had a very strong defense but when it came to offense, it was their week point. "We just need to work on our offense and hitting the ball more" said Arcaro. Leah Buttner, Norton High sophomore, gave some incite to her thoughts on the game as well, "We played an awesome defense and did what we needed to in order to win and will continue to work hard". 
     Kelly Nixon, freshman pitcher, pitched through every inning. Giving away very few hits, she was very consistent with the throwing of no-hitters. Fairhaven continued with swings and misses with the occasional hit, but Norton's in/outfield was there for the backup every time. 

     As the game reached an end the fans began to cheer. The girls in the dugout rushed the field to congratulate each other. The excitement could be seen on every players face, and their coach was thrilled. "Hard work pays off, especially when you work together as a team." said coach Lizotte. The girls know their weaknesses and strengths, and believe in themselves. That allows them to help each other push past their limits to better their playing as individuals and as a whole. Taylor stated, "Next game is going to be tough, hopefully we pull through with a win. It's just going to be who wants it more".