GMS loses in semis, falls short of goals June 7, 2002 By Adam Levin   photo by Eitan Fishbein Eighth grader Sharon Byer makes contact during the Lions’ May 6 quarterfinal game against the Queen Anne Lions. The team beat the Queen Anne Lions by a score of 22-11, only to lose in the semifinals two days later.

The girls middle school softball team entered the PVAC playoffs looking to follow up a successful regular season with a championship victory, but fell just short of its expectations, losing to the Edmund Burke Bengals in the semifinals, 11-10, on May 8.

The Lions entered the playoffs as the second seed, after finishing their season, 9-2. They began the playoffs with a 22-11 victory over the Queen Anne Lions on May 6.

However, the Lions fell to the Bengals by a score of 11-10 in the semifinal round two days later. The Lions had beaten the Bengals, 9-0, earlier in the season.

Despite the outcome, the team played well enough to win, according to head coach Tom Parker.

“In the game against Burke we were one strike away from winning, but they got some clutch hits and scored a bunch of runs,” said Parker.

“Also, in the last inning, there were two very close calls which could have gone our way,” Parker said.

According to eighth grader Hannah Lieberman, the team had a lot of problems with teamwork this season but worked on correcting these problems throughout the year.

“We had a few problems like working as a team and communicating, but people found their places on the team and they began to figure out what they had to do and this is who is going to help me do it.”

Even with the disappointment in the playoffs, the team showed vast growth in several areas.

“The season was definitely a success. We finished with a good record, and we got a high seed for the tournament,” Parker said.

“Over the course of the season our confidence greatly improved, as did our hitting. Our fielding improved exceptionally, and the team developed a real sense of camaraderie despite the short season,” he said.

“I would say that the season was a successful one. I think that the semifinal game was just a bad game,” said eighth grader Emma Price.

The team also showed a lot of character during the season, and did not take the final loss easily.

“All of the girls on the team love softball. They wanted to win, and took that last loss very hard. They thought they could have won the championship this year.

“During the season we were down by two or three runs a couple of times, and we came back to win. The girls showed a lot of guts, especially in the playoffs. In the last playoff game, we had been losing by four runs early, but we came all the way back and were winning by five runs for a time,” said Parker.

The players were likewise full of praise for their coach and leader.

“[Coach Parker] was a really great coach. He always told us what we needed to work on. We learned about our strengths and weaknesses, and over time with his help, we became closer as a team,” said Price.

Parker still believes the team will have the tools necessary to become a major force in the conference next season.

“We are losing a lot of eighth graders, but the seventh graders played well, even though they had limited playing time.

“There are some players coming up to the team next year that are very good at softball, and we will definitely be a competitive team next year,” said Parker. “The varsity team is going to have some good players next season.”