After losing five in a row heading into the Lowell game on Wednesday, the varsity softball team was looking for a change in outcome. FHC came out with a chip on its shoulder and beat the Red Arrows in the first game 11-4. The second game was much closer, and the Rangers lost 15-14 in the end. They then looked for doubleheader revenge against the Bulldogs of Byron Center on Friday. After struggling to hit the ball, the girls suffered back-to-back losses, losing 11-0 and 15-0. 

In their only win, the Rangers played extraordinarily well on the field. Senior Faith Addington pitched in this game, and she did not disappoint. In her seven innings pitched, she struck out two batters, had an FPS of 20, and a WHIP of 2.00. Sophomore Maya Holser and senior Kylie Halverson led the way with three hits each, while senior Abby Davis and freshman Lacey Smith added to the cause with two RBI’s each. 

The Rangers struggled in the next three games, giving up runs and going through a hitting drought. Against Lowell in the second game, the girls had a copious amount of hits but could not end innings with their mitts. Maya led the team with 4 hits, followed by 3 from Kylie and Lacey. Abby and Faith each had 2 RBIs as well. Two Rangers pitched in the one-run loss. Senior Bela Gonzalez pitched three innings, striking out two batters with a WHIP of 3.67. To relieve Bela on the mound, Faith got the nod and stepped in. In the two innings that she pitched, she struck out two batters by falling back on a solid WHIP of 2.50. 

The Byron Center doubleheader was a disappointing outing for the Rangers. In two games, FHC lost 11-0 and 15-0. Freshman Lea Zainea had the only hit for the Rangers in the first game, and junior Remmie Gavle got walked. Bela pitched as hard as she could, performing at a higher level of play in this game. She pitched about four innings; however, gave up 11 runs. Although the blame usually is centered around the pitcher, the girls’ six unnecessary errors also didn’t help the cause. The second game was not much better than the first, as FHC gave up 15 runs. Even though the team struggled as a whole, Lea found success once again by getting two hits. Faith pitched three innings on the mound and struck out one batter behind another impressive WHIP of 4.36.

FHC moves to 12-17 on the season with a 10-7 conference record. The Rangers head into their last week with three opponents on the docket. First, the girls host Calvin Christian on Monday, May 24. Then, they play a home game against West Ottawa the following day. Finally, to cap off their grueling regular season, the girls face off against Grand Rapids Catholic Central on Thursday, May 27. If the girls can finish their season off on a three-game winning streak, they can create powerful momentum for the upcoming postseason.