Widefield hadn’t lost consecutive games all season. But the Gladiators hadn’t defeated rival Mesa Ridge in softball since Oct. 6, 2016, and Widefield dropped the first game of a home-and-home last week to the Grizzlies 8-6.
Something had to give, right? And the Gladiators had no intentions of dropping back-to-back games. The Gladiators ended a 12-game losing streak against Mesa Ridge in dominant fashion with a 13-1 win last week; a notable victory and a microcosm of the Gladiators’ performance this season. “It was a big item we checked off our bucket list,” Widefield’s Brooke Foster said.
“It felt amazing. It’s been on the bucket list since like sixth grade. With my sister (Robyn) being two years older than me, I got the background of it and had that fire since sixth grade of wanting to beat Mesa.
” After starting the season 2-2, the Gladiators have a 13-4 record and 196 runs through 17 games. In their 13 victories, theY have run ruled – a victory by 10 or more runs – nine of their opponents including the blowout win against Mesa Ridge. “We played our game and we knew once we did that, we knew we could win,” Hall said.
“We all have so much passion for the game and after our loss I knew we were going to come back. We just had to use that fire. We had to let it hurt just a little bit and then we had to go.
” Hall continues to lead the Gladiators and, in Widefield’s previous three games, the junior has been a supernova. In two contests against the G.