John W North’s girls softball team had an outstanding 2022-23 season. The Huskies had a varsity 14-girl team consisting of six freshmen and two sophomores. The girls went undefeated in league with a record of 12-0, naming them 1st in the Inland Valley. This was a major improvement from the year before when the girls had a league record of 3-5. “A lot changed in a year”. Said #44 Mia’lani referring to her team’s drive and effort during their pre-season and in season work.
On May 19th, 2023, John W. North’s Varsity Girls Softball team worked their way to the Division 6 CIF championship game against Village Christian at Barber Park in Irvine.
Before the game, #44 Mia’Lani Mayo shared “They barely gave us time to warm up and we were all already very nervous. We were able to collect ourselves and learn to be in the moment”. Tensions were high throughout the game and the girls had to have laser focus to play their best game. #44 Mia’Lani shared “I had to keep reminding myself that I’ve been playing this sport my entire life and the best way for us to win is if we stay in the moment.”
The Huskies excelled in playing defense during the championship game with spectacular play-making skills from #1 Makayla Noone. Noone made an amazing catch in center field to take away a double play in the fourth inning, and right fielder #44 Mia’Lani Mayo threw out a runner at first base to end the inning.
Further in the game, the Huskies took the lead in the fifth inning when #5 Angelina Martinez hit the ball to Village Christians shortstop who missed, letting #1 Makayla Noone run home for the first point. #3 Freshman Jade Jorin said, “I was really excited, that changed the energy of the game and got us hyped up,” after the girls scored their first point in the championship game.
Following the first point, the girls put up another point against Village Christian giving them a 2-0 lead but Village Christian would not go down this easy. Village Christian’s pitcher Bree Brennan made the Huskies struggle to connect and racked up 15 strikeouts in her six innings of work. However, the girls continued to fight throughout the game playing solid defense to keep Village Christian from scoring. The game finished with a score of 2-0 in favor of the Huskies.
The girls worked hard for this game and got their well-deserved taste of victory. Hopefully, the girls can recreate the past and dominate their 2023/24 season.
