Improving on last season’s record, while showing consistency at the plate and in the field were among some of the Greenwich High School softball team’s goals entering the season and so far this spring, the Cardinals are reaching such goals.

The Cardinals showed another significant sign of improvement when it hosted FCIAC foe Danbury High School on May 1, earning an exciting 3-2 extra inning win over the visiting Hatters.

The victory was the fifth of the season for the Cardinals (5-10), who have improved on their win total from 2023.

“We started off the season a little rocky, but we cleaned up a lot of aspects in our defense and offense,” Greenwich first-season coach Alexyss Conley said. “We’re starting to come out big against these strong teams and we’re looking really good.”

With the score tied at 2-2 in the bottom of the eighth inning, Greenwich scored the game-winning run against Danbury relief pitcher Abby O’Dell. Senior captain/shortstop Mia Gangi reached first base on an infield single to third base and advanced to second on a stolen base.

Junior Casey Natale laid down a perfect bunt, moving Gangi over to third base with one out. Then with two outs in the inning, junior outfielder Cameron Clark hit a hard ground ball to third base for a hit, scoring Gangi with the winning run and giving the Cardinals a 3-2 triumph.

“It was a new pitcher, so I was trying to think what had the other batters seen before her, so inside is where I like to hit it, so if I saw one where I liked, I needed to take it that way,” Clark said of her hit that scored the game-winning run.”

The Cardinals also played well in a 5-1 road loss against Darien on Friday. Their other victories this season have come against Bridgeport Central (twice), Wilton and Brien McMahon.

Junior right-hander Sophia Blois pitched a complete game for the win. Blois threw strikes, mixed her pitches well and received stellar support from the fielders behind her on her way to earning the win on the mound.

“Going in, I had beat them last year, so I kind of had an idea of what to throw to them and they weren’t making any adjustments, so I stayed inside against them and it worked,” Blois said.

Blois struck out five batters and received fine plays behind her in the infield from Gangi at shortstop, Casey Natale at second base, senior Gianna Toscano at third base and senior Megan Geiger at first base. In the outfield Cameron Clark, freshman Sydney Coyne and freshman Jesse Natale each made solid plays on fly balls hit their way in the outfield for GHS.

“I don’t think we made an error, which boosts my confidence when the team backs me up,” Blois noted. “We want to keep this momentum going and I think we’ll do good.”

Cardinals senior catcher/captain Campbell Clark was impressed with Blois pitching throughout.

“Sophia threw a great game,” Campbell Clark said. “When a certain pitch wasn’t working then we worked on the batter’s weaknesses and when the batter was able to hit what we were throwing them, our defense backed us up, so it all worked out in the end.”

This FCIAC matchup was a pitcher’s duel throughout between Blois and Danbury right-hander Mya Cefaloni, who threw seven strong innings. The game was scoreless until the top of the fifth inning, with the Hatters scoring two runs.

Maddy O’Dell, leadoff hitter Abby O’Dell and Nataly Jimenez each singled off Blois, with Jimenez’s hit driving home a run, giving the Hatters a 1-0 lead. Danbury added a sacrifice fly in the inning, making it 2-0.

The Cards, however, came right back, responding with two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Cameron Clark singled, Geiger delivered a double to center field and Clark later scored on a wild pitch, bringing the Cardinals to within 2-1.

Jesse Natale then reached base on an infield single, a run scored on the play and GHS tied the score at 2-2.

The victors had a good approach against the Hatters’ starting pitcher.

“We watched her in our warm-ups and we made the adjustments quickly,” said Geiger, also a team captain. “We got on top of that ball and we strung them together.”

Indeed, pitching, defense and some clutch hits keyed this win for the Cards.

“Our team has cleaned it up recently and it’s fun to watch,” Geiger noted. “Everybody is making the plays and supporting each other.”

Said Gangi, a senior captain: “There was a lot of adrenaline. From the start we were up and we wanted to win this game. Our pitching was phenomenal, she (Blois) did a really good job again today. I’m really proud of us.”

For Greenwich, Cameron Clark went 2 for 4 with the game-winning RBI, Geiger had one hit and one run scored, Campbell Clark had one hit and two stolen bases, Gangi had a hit, a stolen base and a run scored and Jesse Natale went 1 for 3.

Like GHS, Danbury finished the game with six hits.

“Everyone played great, we had great plays and Sophia pitched amazing,” Cameron Clark said. “Everyone did their part and that’s what carried us to the win.”

“Sophia did a great job, she’s been looking very good so far this season,” Conley noted. “We like what she’s throwing. The defense was spectacular today. They scored two runs and then we answered right back with two runs, which was huge.”

Greenwich is in action again on Monday against Stamford on the road. They host Ridgefield on Wednesday.