The Oak Park High School girls softball team defeated Buena 10-9 in a close game on April 24.

Having started off the game behind in the first five innings, the Oak Park girls softball team worked hard to fight for a comeback. As the Eagles began to close the gap between scores, Buena continued to play their best, resulting in a 7-7 tie at the start of the sixth inning. This back-and-forth momentum quickly became the theme of the game.

“[Today’s game was] definitely back-and-forth because I feel like we kind of went into this game thinking we’re for sure going to win and [then] they got ahead on us,” sophomore and left fielder Maddie Scupine said. “For the first five innings we weren’t really hitting, and then we came back and we were ahead, and then they came back and they were ahead, and it was just really back and forth, but the final result was good.”

In the sixth inning, with just one inning left before the conclusion of the game, junior and center fielder Shaila Esparza hit a home run to break the tie, bringing the team up from a tie of 7-7 to 9-7. Despite the pressure, Esparza remained composed, and helped secure the win for her team.

“I was just calm, and that’s basically it,” Esparza said. “I was waiting on the ball because it was coming in a little slower, and then it just happened to get out of the field.”

Buena managed to catch up during the last inning, but it ultimately was not enough to beat Oak Park, who finished off the game with an astonishing 10-9 score within the last few minutes. 

Team chemistry played a key role in the comeback of this game.

“The team’s dynamic is probably the best it’s ever been this season because everyone on the team is friends outside of the team, and we hang out, so I think the dynamic’s really good and I really think it translates to on the field,” Scupine said.