Stuyvesant Softball Looking to Hunt Down Division Leaders After Hunter Victory

Stuyvesant’s softball team, the Renegades, has been on a rollercoaster ride at the start of this season. The year started with a 15-2 thrashing of Lab Museum High School, followed by a humbling 16-6 loss to Stevenson High School. They traveled to Lehman High School to pick up their second win of the season, but then fell at home in a close game to Fort Hamilton High School. Senior and co-captain Alexandra Lennard said it best, “We’ve had many high highs and a few low lows.” The team’s most recent outing against Hunter College High School seemed like a big indicator of the team’s realistic expectations for the rest of the season. Entering the game, the team had two options: either wallow in their last defeat or bounce back like they have time and time again. The team proved their resilience once again, with an emphatic 10-5 victory and improving the team’s record to 4-2 in league play.

Senior and co-captain Talia Kirshenbaum put on a solid pitching performance for the Renegades, surrendering five total runs, four of which were earned. In addition, she struck out two and walked seven players in her first complete game of the season. Kirschenbaum also led the way for Stuyvesant offensively, going 2-4 driving in three runs off a triple. Senior and shortstop Lili Boenigk also added three hits and drove in two runs.

The way this game and this season have gone thus far showcases the team’s true character. Even after trailing 1-0 after the first inning and 4-0 after the second inning, the Renegades never gave up and continued to battle. They chipped away at the lead in the third inning off of junior Eve Hausman’s hit, who was a home run away from hitting the cycle. The bats really started to heat up in the fourth with a six-run inning, and the Renegades never relinquished their lead. The Renegades added three insurance runs in the sixth to put the game away for good. It has been a really hot start for the Renegades offensively this season. They have five players hitting over .380 this season; this showcases the team’s offensive firepower and potential.

This year’s group is driven and willing to analyze their mistakes in order to be better the next time they step on the field. There is no doubt that the girls are confident in their ability to smooth out their inconsistencies. “We have so much potential. I have never worked alongside such a strong and dedicated group of players,” Lennard stated after their win. They are an extremely tight-knit group, as most of the starters are seniors going into the last of four straight years of getting to know each other already. There is also a nice mix with a few freshmen having to step up and play crucial roles in this year's team.

Though the season has not been smooth sailing thus far, the Renegades are hopeful that they are on the brink of a turnaround. Lennard finished by saying that “We want this season to be the best yet, and though our journey has been a little bumpy thus far, I think we're headed in the right direction. We will live up to this vision that we've constructed over the past three seasons as this last season being a sort of softball pinnacle for ourselves.”