Meeker High School softball will honor four seniors Thursday, Oct. 8, when the Cowboys host Rifle for their final regular-season doubleheader. Games are scheduled for 4 and 6 p.m. at Paintbrush Park. Kayla Castillo, Kailynn Watson, Aurora Stallings and Penelope Martin will be recognized.
“They hold each other accountable, and the seniors, especially this season, have done a phenomenal job of leading without dictating,” first-year head coach Josh Martin said. “They’ve set expectations, but they’re leading by example.”
The Cowboys enter the doubleheader after dropping two home games to Delta Saturday, Oct. 3, falling 14-0 and 16-5.
Junior Sienna Rolen went 2-for-2 in the opener and stole two bases. Castillo, sophomore MacKenzie Denney, Watson, sophomore Haigen Harrison and sophomore Sophia Moody each recorded a hit, including doubles from Watson and Moody.
Watson pitched four innings, allowing 15 hits and 14 earned runs with six walks and four strikeouts.
In the second game, Harrison went 3-for-4 with two doubles and two runs scored. Castillo finished 2-for-3 with an RBI, a run and a walk, while Stallings added a hit and an RBI. Meeker scored five runs on six hits.
Martin said Harrison had yet to strike out this season with two regular-season games remaining.
“To go an entire season without a strikeout with some of the pitchers that we’ve been able to face is pretty impressive,” he said.
Watson pitched seven innings in the second game, allowing 20 hits and 16 runs, 15 earned, with five walks and four strikeouts.
The Cowboys stole seven bases in the opener and 12 in the second game, including six from Castillo.
“One of the things that we have always prided ourselves on is being aggressive on the bases,” Martin said. “They are hungry to turn any single into a double or a triple, which helps us because then we get runners out of force plays, we get runners into scoring positions.”
Despite the losses, Martin said the team has improved in fielding, hitting and handling adversity.
“When we were down, the girls would start getting in their heads or feeling down,” he said. “But they’ve kept the energy up when we’re down, and I think that’s made a huge difference.”
Martin credited the seniors with helping younger teammates through difficult moments on the field and with academics and other challenges away from softball.
“When some of the underclassmen strike out, the seniors are the first ones to be like, ‘Hey, it’s all right. Get the next one,’” he said.
For Senior Night, Martin hopes his players enjoy the opportunity to compete together at home.
“For my seniors, I think the message would just be: have fun, enjoy these last two games, enjoy being on your home field under the lights in front of your friends and family, and leave everything you have out on the field because it might be the last time that you have the chance to do that.”
Seniors, from left, No. 2 Kayla Castillo, No. 8 Kailynn Watson, head coach Josh Martin, No. 6 Aurora Stallings and No. 13 Penelope Martin. BILLIE JENSEN PHOTO