Friday night at the AISD Softball Field, the Nimitz Cougars and the MacArthur Generals took their rivalry to the field, playing for bragging rights and second place in the District standings.

Nimitz started the first inning out strong with great batting and base-running. The Cougars scored one run in the top of the first and held the Generals to zero runs in the bottom half.  In the second inning, the Generals stopped Nimitz from scoring and took the lead with aggressive base-running to end the second inning with the lead, 3-1.

The third inning also belonged to the Generals. The ladies made outstanding catches in the infield and outfield to keep the Cougars at one run and kept up their great play by taking risks. MacArthur took chances in this inning from playing classic pickle running from second to third, racing the ball to home and sliding in for the run, and stealing bases all the way around the diamond to extend their lead to 5-1. It was not until Nimitz shortstop Rachelle Harris made a diving catch to get the third out and give her team a chance to redeem themselves.

With Nimitz chants getting louder from the dugout, the Cougars began to play their game.  They held the Generals scoreless and added one more run of their own in the fourth.  In the fifth inning, Generals pitchers Sarah Perales and Estee Adame had trouble throwing strikes. They gave Nimitz a chance to come within one by loading the bases with Cougars and letting them walk into home. With MacArthur only leading by one, 5-4 in the bottom of the inning the Cougars got three quick outs.

After playing catch up in the fifth inning the Cougars could not take the lead in the sixth and had trouble stopping the Generals. The Generals stayed their course and found the holes in the field. After scoring two more runs in the sixth they held off the Cougars and secured the win with a final score of 6-4.

Nimitz head coach Irene Hopkins said, “We are our own worst enemies.  Errors were costly in this game.”

MacArthur head coach Robert Delk commented by saying, “We played good when we needed to.”  That summed up the win and gave the Generals a 5-2-0 District record.

Next, the Generals will play the Spring Woods Tigers on March 27, and Nimitz will take on Northbrook.

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