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Sports

Westfield Softball Remains on Top of Concorde District

Star player Frankie Martinez is out for the season.

Westfield is striving for their third straight Concorde district championship, and now with a record of 10-3 (5-1), they are seeded first, with four more district games to play.

Tuesday, the Westfield softball team led Robinson 4-0 in the second inning, with two outs and runners on first and third when Westfield senior Frankie Martinez stepped up to the plate, ready to take her eleventh pitch of the game. On the 1-1 pitch, Jessica McNamara stole second base to place both runners in scoring position. The crowd cheered, "Frankie," as Martinez stood down 10 more pitches to put together the two longest at-bats of the game.

With the count 3-2, and facing her twenty-fifth pitch, Frankie smashed a grounder through the legs of Lauren Stapleton into center field. Jackie Martinez crossed home plate and so did McNamara. Realizing that she had time to run out a double, Frankie headed for second base, but at the last minute decided to slide feet first. The crowd cheering suddenly stopped. She made it to second with plenty of time, but the result was not what the team had wanted.

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"[It's] broke," said Westfield coach Dean Ferington.

Frankie attempted a slide-by upon reaching second base, but the late execution placed her left forearm too close to the base. It snapped like a twig.

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"Some people have to step up," said Ferington. "It's a coach's cliche, but she is an awesome player. We probably have to change our philosophy on what we do and how we do it, but it's definitely going to be different without her."

Frankie, along with twin Jackie, and senior McNamara, have been the core of a Bulldog lineup that likes to score early and make teams play catch-up. Batting at the fourth, first, and third positions respectively, the trio make it hard for pitchers to pitch around them for fear of loading the bases. One fan was overheard saying, "they fear us as a team." The threat may now be over.

The Bulldogs went on to score two more runs and win 8-0 after six and a half innings, but after the game the mood was somber.

"It's a huge disappointment and it's going to be a really tough struggle for us," said McNamara. "But we're going to play for her now and this will give us more motivation."

"Our hitting is great right now," added McNamara. "Our pitching just needs to stay strong and we'll be fine."

McNamara hit 1-for-4 with a walk and a reached-on-error. Frankie went 2-for-2 with a triple, a double and three RBI. Jackie hit 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI.

Westfield's next opponent is Herndon.

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