With spring in full-swing, the Lady Bulldogs are also in full swing as they work towards being the first Freedom softball team to enter the playoffs. With their 6-6 record, they have had a mix of wins and losses to bring them to where they are now.

After their successful start to the season, the girls fell into a three-game losing streak. On March 30, they faced off against Neshannock, falling 15-0. On April 3, the team had their first section game against Steel Valley, where they lost 6-0. On April 5, Freedom fell to Avonworth 20-5.
“The toughest challenge has been keeping a positive attitude through the ups and downs. The team lacks in fielding [because] we have too many errors, [however] our team excels in working as a team and not individually,” sophomore Madison Slowinski stated.

“The players seem to communicate better on the field now, then when they started in Jan.,” assistant Coach Speicher said.

Bouncing back strong, however, the team won against Beaver Falls on April 11, 12-0. Slowinski and sophomore Trisha Speicher led the team with Slowinski pitching a six-inning shutout and hitting four doubles and Speicher hitting a homerun and a double.

“I’ve been to Beaver Falls many times as a Tiger or as a Bulldog coach and I’d never seen a homerun hit over their double fence which is eight feet tall and a 215 ft distance,” Coach Bill Boggs stated.

The team fell to Riverside on April 13, 6-3. Freedom fell in a double header against Ellwood on April 18, 7-1 and 16-1.

Once again, the team bounced back and won against Fort Cherry on April 21, 7-6. They won again on April 22 against New Brighton 6-2. Junior Lexi Halvin hit a grand slam and Slowinski pitched a no-hitter.

The girls faced off against Quaker Valley and Avonworth on April 24, winning against Quaker Valley 11-6 and losing against Avonworth 15 to 0.

With less than ten games in the regular season, the coaches and players have high hopes for the rest of the season.

“The biggest goal for the rest of the season is to beat Beaver Falls and Riverside. If we can do that, we have a shot at earning FHS’s first ever playoff berth,” Boggs said.

“My hopes for the rest of the season is to keep the motivation high and pull through with some wins and hopefully make it to the playoffs like Freedom Softball has never done before,” Slowinski stated.

“My hope is to make the playoffs, but more importantly my hope would be that the team continues to grow and develop into a competitive team,” coach Speicher explained.

Speicher has had a strong batting record, averaging at .474 with four home runs.

“That’s the most I’ve seen in my seven years of coaching,” Boggs stated.

Slowinski and sophomore Amber Baumiller follow with strong averages of .421 and .400, respectively.

“This year is just the tip of the iceberg of what I hope to be not just playoff teams but teams that will challenge for a section championship or two,” Boggs claimed.