With a high of 75 degrees and the sun hitting the brand new turf just right, the night was set for the historic Battle of the Birds showdown. 

It was no ordinary softball game for the Lady Cards, but a ground breaking night for the program. An estimated 1,000 people poured into Holder stadiums to watch SHS and Perry Meridian in action.

Before the night unpacked, the Lady Cards made their way over to the baseball field to honor their newly constructed turf fields.

On home base, SHS senior Gabe Harman and Perry Meridian senior Macy Stroud cut a ribbon, marking the entrance of a new era for all four programs.

Once the ribbon was wrapped up, President of the School Board Jim Hernandez threw the first pitch to his granddaughter, junior Kayden Hernandez, who is the first-basemen for the Lady Cards.

With the comradery out of the way, the Lady Cards were laser focused on one thing, dethroning the Falcons after losing last year 5-3. 

And that is exactly what they did, winning in a slow-burning nailbiter, 2-1.

“We kind of let one get away last year, so we were really anticipating this to be a good game,” head coach James Thorpe said.

The night started off slow for both birds, leaving the first inning with goose eggs on the scoreboard. 

When the top of the second rolled along, there was still no success for the Falcons against Senior Addyson Stansberry. For the night, she only allowed four hits per 26 at bats.

This success on the mound translated into the box.

While two quick outs rose early, Junior Ava Thorpe stepped up to the plate unfazed. With no one on base, Ava hit a solid single, gaining a sliver of confidence for her team.

“Hitting wise, I think I got us started…,” Ava said. “And I think just by being hyped (helped us).”

Though Ava was not in scoring position, Hernandez was ready to send her home hitting an RBI. 

While the Lady Cards had momentum, the bottom of the second was short-lived after the run followed by a strikeout, sending them back to defense. 

The next two innings dragged out with what seemed like the umpires being in control as they made questionable calls for both sides.

Senior catcher Malia Breedlove, held it down behind the plate, doing everything she could to get Stansberry the calls she needed.

“We had some complications last season with the umpires,” Breedlove said. “So I think we were kind of prepared to play our own game.”

Nonetheless, everyone held their own, not allowing any runs to be tacked on. 

Everything changed in the fifth when the Falcons took control of the driver’s seat, tying the game up 1-1 after an RBI single. 

The Cards had no answer following the run, so they were ready to rely on their defense after being shooed off the plate.  

The sixth inning saw six out of nine batters appear at the plate for SHS. With this many chances, they were destined to take the lead. 

With one out and two runners on, sophomore Natalie Vaeth changed the game.

Vaeth hit a sneaky RBI single just above the shortstop’s head, nearing second base to send Stansberry home, clinching the lead. 

Now, all the Lady Cards had to do was hold on and not allow any runs to end the night.  

That’s what Stansberry did, closing the game with the out at first putting up three strikeouts and only one error. 

“Ady Stansberry on the mound, she’s been phenomenal for the past four outings and hopefully we can continue that and ride her out,” Thorpe said. 

Although Thorpe is proud of the outcome, he is not satisfied and is eager to get better. 

The Cards are back at it Monday, April 20 against Roncalli seeking to improve their record 8-3. 

“I’m feeling excited for this team (be)cause they all deserve to go paint the rock, and none of them have gotten to do it before,” Breedlove said.