SF State’s softball team wrapped up their season on Saturday, April 28 with a doubleheader against Chico State on the Gator’s home field.
Before the pair of games began, the Gators honored their soon-to-be-gone seniors Lindsey Cassidy, Sara Higa, Angelica Terrel, Delanie Chrisman, Madison Collins and Mallory Cleveland with flowers and applause,. Each senior played in Saturday’s contests.
Lindsey Cassidy pitched a complete game for the first of the two contests where she struck out three batters and surrendered 10 hits in a 5-0 loss. Though it was her last time stepping on the mound here at SF State, Cassidy kept a clear head and remained locked in.
“You can’t really be thinking too much while you’re on the mound,” Cassidy explained. “If you get emotional on the mound, you’re going to be a mess out there.”
The Gators would go on to drop the second game of the day as well by a score of 7-4.
Third baseman Sara Higa had a productive season at the plate posting a .313 batting average. She continued her success in the team’s second game, getting a hit in each of her three at-bats.
When asked how she felt about taking the field as a Gator for the last time, Higa described her feelings as “bittersweet.”
“I wouldn’t have wanted to end it any other way, especially with the group of girls we have out there,” Higa said. “I’m definitely going to miss the camaraderie of the team and all of the memories we made.”
Outfielder Mallory Cleveland says she’ll look back at her fours years as a Gator fondly. “I’ve had a great four years,” Cleveland said. “I’ll never forget all of the memories I made with the girls, everyone I met along the way and the relationships I’ll continue to carry for the rest of my life.”
Cleveland says her favorite memory on the field came this season when she made her first diving catch against Humboldt State. “I had never been more pumped in my life. I’ve never seen my teammates cheer harder for me. It was just an incredible experience,” Cleveland recalled with an ear-to-ear grin.
The game also marked the end of Alicia Reid’s first season as the softball team’s head coach.
“Anytime something is your first, you remember that always,” Reid said. “This whole team as a whole is going to hold a special and unique spot for me.”
Although the team finished the season with 24 wins and 31 losses, Reid is optimistic about next season. “I felt like we had a lot of growth this year,” Reid said. “To see where we were day-one to where we are now … that’s what makes it exciting. That’s what makes it so fun.”
