Raiders’ play improved during season
By: Justin Feil
There was disappointment after the Hun School softball team lost in the Prep A state final, 3-1, to Peddie on Tuesday.
But it was a far cry from the disappointment the Raiders felt the first time they played Peddie, a 10-0 loss on April 18 that left them 1-4 on the season. From then, Hun bounced back to win 10 of their next 11 games before losing to the defending state champion Falcons on Tuesday.
"When we talked after the game today," said Hun head coach Kathy Quirk, "we said, ‘After the last time we played Peddie, who’d have thought we’d be here after the way they demolished us?’ It was nice to get here."
It was the second straight year in which the Raiders lost to Peddie for the Prep A state final, which they last won in 2004. There was still plenty to build on after a campaign that started out so roughly ended with another finals appearance.
"I think we can definitely build on it," said Quirk after her team concluded an 11-6 season. Hun will return all but three graduating seniors Kristen Klein, Christina Zimmerman and Katrina O’Hara from this year’s squad. The seniors were a key part of holding together the Raiders through the bumpy beginning and helping them make it another rewarding season.
"We just kept telling them, you have to believe in yourselves and your teammates," Quirk said. "Together, you’re going to win."
The Hun coaches never lost faith that the team had the talent to compete with anyone, and the Raiders proved them right by giving Peddie, which improved to 18-1, all it could handle. After falling behind, 1-0, in the second inning Hun got to Peddie sophomore ace, Cailyn Hennessey, for a run to tie it. Alyssa Fares doubled and scored when Morgan Cawley’s bunt was misplayed into an error in the fourth inning.
The Raiders could get no more while the Falcons managed to sandwich a fifth-inning go-ahead run around two solo home runs off Nikki Caplinger. Both pitchers were stingy with Hennessey allowing just four hits and Caplinger scattering seven.
"It was a good game," Quirk said. "We had our chances. We had one inning with the bases loaded and couldn’t get anyone in. We had another one with two on. She (Hennessey) only struck out nine, and the game before she struck out 17.
"We came with confidence. We played excellent defense. We may have had one error. Katrina O’Hara had the game of her life at second base. And Nikki did a nice job on the mound. We executed some nice bunts. We moved people around. We just couldn’t come out on top. I told them, they have nothing to be ashamed of."
Particularly considering how far the Raiders had come since the first meeting with Peddie. They reached their goal of a rematch, but just came up a couple runs short of their ultimate state championship goal.

