Early On, Falcons Softball Working Toward Consistency

Andrea Rom could hardly have picked a better moment for the at-bat of her life.

With two on and nobody out in a scoreless game against rival Broadneck, Rom stepped to the plate sensing it was a big moment.

“My team has had my back, and I knew I needed to have theirs in that moment,” she said.

The off-speed pitch that came never dropped. The sophomore third baseman swung, and the ball launched from her bat: a no-doubter, the first home run she’d ever hit in a game, at any level of play.

Just like that, she’d provided breathing space for pitcher Quinlyn Bary and the Falcons defense, and they held it down to win 4-2 in the season opener over the Bruins.

“That one came in a little late, but it felt so good right off the bat. I knew it was over, and I just can’t believe it,” Rom said. “We just started to relax, and on the bench, we got a lot louder and we were able to support Q. We knew our defense was enough to get through the rest of the game.”

After beating Broadneck and then topping Old Mill 22-4, the Falcons have settled into the grind of a spring season. They dropped a 7-4 game to Northeast in eight innings but then beat North County 12-3. Then came successive losses against Arundel (8-4) and Chesapeake (5-4).

Most recently, the Falcons beat Glen Burnie 3-0, with Bary striking out 12 and pitching a two-hit shutout.

In the Old Mill game, Lucy Benner had four hits and knocked in four runs, while Taylor Moran homered.

Though the Falcons have been up and down, more up than down, it’s part of the growing process. But they feel like they’re ahead of where they were last year.

“It’s a big difference from last year. A lot of kids have carried themselves very well, like they’re a lot older, even though they’re still young,” said Severna Park softball head coach Bailey Benedick. “We just need to make adjustments a little bit sooner, and defensively we just need to clean up a little bit and keep our cool all seven innings.”

Next up for the Falcons was a rematch at Broadneck on April 7, followed by a home game with Crofton and another rematch at Northeast.