On March 17, the bleachers fill up with supportive parents and students on a chilly afternoon. The varsity softball players, wearing green ribbon ties in their hair to show their St. Patrick’s Day spirit, shouted “One, two, three, Raiders!” to indicate the start of the game.

With only the second game of the season, Huntley High School won 3-2 against Fremd High School. It was a close game and all the varsity softball players worked hard to bring the victory home.

Huntley scored the first point in the first inning with a score of 0-1, giving them an advantage. The score stayed consistent throughout the second inning but changed when Fremd scored a point, leaving the team with a tie for 1-1.

After the third inning, the pressure was high for Huntley as there were only four more innings left of the game to score points. However, Huntley struggled to score a point for the fourth and fifth inning, leaving the score at 1-1.

The game took a turn for the better for Huntley during the sixth inning. Senior Jori Heard hit a home run, giving Huntley one point, which broke the tie. The team kept their streak going as they scored another point, leaving the score at 3-1.

With the end of the game in sight, Fremd hit a home run leaving them just a point under Huntley. However, Fremd fell short as they didn’t score another point in the final inning, leaving Huntley with a triumphant win.

The energy was high as Huntley celebrated their win against Fremd, especially as they had just started their season on Monday.

“I was just excited to be back out here again because [on] Monday [it] was a little muddy out, but I was excited to come out and get a win,” junior Katie Mitchell said.

Huntley’s victory against Fremd gives them hope for their next games to come.

“Since this was only our second game, I am really excited to see the team get closer and really come together as one. I think we are capable of much more and I can’t wait to see it,” sophomore Christina Smith said. “This team has so much talent and I am so excited to see us perform even better in future games.”

Huntley has a lot of determination and will continue to work hard against tough competitions to come.

“[For] our schedule [for the season,] we are playing top teams in Illinois. Fremds is excellent, I think they are number seven, but we are going to battle every game. Every game we play is going to be against tough competition, and we’re going to have to bring our best to be successful,” varsity softball coach Mark Petryniec said.