As the crowd filled the stands with cheers and applause, the energy and emotions of the field ran high, marking a bittersweet milestone for the senior softball players. On October 7th, 2024, the Palisade Bulldog Softball Team took on the Montrose Red Hawks for their senior night game.
The softball team came out with a victory over Montrose with a final score of 10-6. The team played their best that game, encouraging each other along the way. “The senior night game was very memorable,” said Palisade Senior Hailey Rice. “I felt the team come together and play as one that night. It felt like in the end we all had the same goal and that was to win.” Rice is one of six seniors on the softball team. Those seniors are Hailey Rice, Kaci Hoskin, Elli Dorr, Tya Pinnt, Anaiah Guajardo-Zarate, and Madysan Bay. Rice has been playing for Palisade since her freshman year and currently plays catcher, second, and often right field.
“I’m going to miss many things about softball, but something that I’ll miss the most is creating those bonds with the girls and making lifelong friendships with them,” expressed Rice. “The most memorable moment for me during the senior night game had to be when I would come out on defense and just seeing everyone in the crowd, knowing they had been there for not just me but all the other seniors throughout our whole softball journey. When I would take my position I could see the other seniors on the field and it brought me so much joy knowing that we did it, we made it this far, which to some isn’t very far but to look back all six of us had grown tremendously. I felt very privileged to watch my teammates that had been there with me for four years grow alongside me.”
The softball team played their last game against the Rifle Bears on October the 9th on their home field out behind Palisade High School, which resulted in a victory score of 14-11. “Emotions were high at the rifle game,” said Rice. “None of us showed it at the beginning, or even during the game, but everyone on that team knew how much this game meant to us seniors, and everyone who played gave it everything they had. I can’t describe the vibe in the dugout during the game, it was like this formulated thought that nobody had said, we all just knew that we had to win this game. After we won and shook hands, that’s when it really sunk in that it was our very last game. Me personally it was a bittersweet feeling, I didn’t want to let go but at the same time I knew that I couldn’t stay.”
These seniors have had an amazing season with many memories and bonds to cherish. The softball team plays in the first round of regionals against Niwot in Pueblo on Friday, October 18. Goodluck to our Bulldog ladies and congratulations to our seniors on one last hurrah!
