Improvements Marred by Mistakes in Softball Loss

Often times, success is not measured in the form of the journey, but rather the destination and whether the ultimate goal is accomplished.

The Collingswood High School varsity softball team, though, is proving that while they are not quite satisfied with their current standing, they continue to improve, which is plenty satisfying in its own right.

On Monday, in their home game against Haddon Heights that they would eventually lose 7-2, the Panthers held the Garnets under five runs for five innings. Collingswood would even tie the game at two all in the third inning. That came after a two-RBI single from junior first baseman Stephanie Fultano that saw her unsuccessfully attempt to steal second base on the same play.

That single base running fault was not the Panthers’ only flaw on Monday afternoon, however. Amidst a game in which Collingswood displayed confidence and aggression at the plate and also seemed more comfortable in the field than they had in previous game, it was the little things that ultimately came back to trouble them in the end.

“We still make some mental mistakes,” said Collingswood head coach Abby Adams. “We just hang our heads when we make mistakes, too, and that’s when teams like this run on us.”

A throwing error from center fielder Nicole Hall scored the Garnets’ first run in the first inning. A fielding error from shortstop Taylor Harkness scored the second one. In spite of the fact that Haddon Heights played extremely well and certainly earned the victory, the Panthers’ mistakes, which usually prove to be trivial, were magnified under the circumstances of this particular game.

“It’s always the little things,” said Fultano, who was 2-for-3 on the day. “We’re definitely working on everything as the season goes on. It’s definitely an improvement from where we’ve been, though.”

Where the Panthers have been is five losses prior to the one they saw on Monday, four of which came by way of giving up more than ten runs. The improvement, though, is coming. The team continues to work hard and find familiarity with their place on the field, not to mention, the return of junior Erika Witherbee, who started her first game of the season last week after missing nearly two months with a stress fracture in her foot.

Witherbee hopes to begin pitching for Collingswood by the end of next week, and the Panthers hope to keep the improvements they’ve seen coming while, at the same time, minimizing the mistakes that have haunted them in the season’s early going.

“We really are improving,” said Adams. “We just need to keep working hard and beating the teams we should beat.”