The Falcons Varsity girls’ softball team played crosstown rival the Out-of-Door Academy Thunder on Thursday night, defeating the Thunder with a final score of 10-5.

By the fifth inning, the Falcons were up 5-2. The Falcons had doubled their score by the end of the sixth. Sophomore Kirsten Samuels hit a triple in the sixth that led to three subsequent scores by herself and sophomores Becca Banks and Kayla Hayes.  The Thunder scored another run during the sixth inning and two more in the seventh. The final score was 10-5, Falcons.

Key players included Samuels, who was two for three with a sacrifice fly, four RBIs (runs batted in), a run and a triple. Banks was three for four with three RBIs, two runs and a double. Hayes was three for four and scored three runs. Senior Alison Kanter was the winning pitcher and was two for four with two runs. Also contributing were junior Hannah Martell and eight grader Lindsay Leskinen, who were both two for four.

The team is the youngest Varsity girls’ softball team in both Manatee and Sarasota counties, with 10 of the 16 girls in sixth through eighth grade. Five of the starters in Thursday’s game were in eighth grade.

Head coach Mike Murphy said he was proud of the team’s performance, especially considering how young most of the players are.

“The girls played very well tonight. [Considering] how young this team is we have a winning future ahead of us. I’m proud of the progress our team has made and look forward to a strong finish in our last two games,” he said.

The team is 3-10 overall and 2-4 in district play. They have two more games left in their season.