It was Senior Day for Greenwich High School’s softball team when it hosted FCIAC opponent Westhill High School on May 18th and though the final result wasn’t a victory for the Cardinals, they put forth a representative effort, displaying the areas where they have improved this season.

The Cardinals, who have earned five victories this spring, have received stellar play in the field and have held their own at the plate all season. Yet the FCIAC is a formidable conference, so Greenwich has experienced its share of challenges throughout the season.

Following a 9-3 loss to Westhill on May 18 and a 13-1 defeat against Fairfield Warde, one of the premier teams in the FCIAC, Greenwich’s record stands at 5-14 heading into its final game of the season – a road matchup against conference foe Brien McMahon today May (20).

Prior to playing Westhill, the Cardinals paid tribute to their four seniors, recognizing them with pregame introductions and after the game, the squad held a team lunch. Sophia Blois, Cameron Clark, Casey Natale and Gianna Toscano are Greenwich’s senior athletes. Clark, Natale and Toscano have each served as captains of the Cardinals, roles they performed very well.

“These four seniors, I’ve known them since their freshman year, it was my first year with this program, so to see them grow throughout the last four years has been great to watch,” Greenwich coach Alexyss Conley said. “They are all leaders. They know my expectations and they’re my second coaches. It makes my job a lot easier.”

The main highlight of Greenwich’s Senior Day game against visiting Westhill occurred in the bottom of the third inning. That’s when sophomore outfielder Sydney Coyne hit a two-run home run over the left center field fence off Vikings junior pitcher Sadie Wilde. Coyne’s two-run homer cut Westhill’s lead to 3-2.

After Coyne launched the ball over the fence for a home run, her Cardinals teammates greeted her at home plate, celebrating her fence clearing hit. Sophomore Hayden Zinker, who started at first base for GHS, singled before Coyne’s home run.

Greenwich’s seniors all played important roles on the team. Blois was the team’s starting pitcher, a position she filled for several seasons. Clark started in center field, effectively patrolling and leading the outfield for numerous years and Toscano was a mainstay at third base, solidifying the infield.

Both Clark and Toscano sparked the Cardinals in the middle of the lineup. Casey Natale was sidelined all season with an injury and the team missed her presence on the field. Yet she still provided leadership in the dugout, providing spirit to the team.

Against Westhill, Blois pitched six innings and kept the Cardinals close until the Vikings added several runs in the fifth and sixth innings. Catcher Bella Curran hit an RBI single and Ella Schick drove in a run with a base hit, giving Westhill a 5-2 fifth inning lead.

Sophomore Hannah Winig pitched a scoreless seventh inning for Greenwich, which received singles from Clark, Blois and sophomore Lily Coyne. Clark provided a highlight in the top of the fourth inning when from center field she threw out a Westhill baserunner attempting to score from second base on a single. Clark made a perfect throw home on a fly to catcher Hailey Dreher.

“It was clean defensively all the way around, we played well, we just didn’t get the timely hits,” Conley said. “We left a lot of runners on base. We were hitting the ball but hitting it right to people.”

Conley appreciated her squad’s consistent throughout season during their ups and downs.

“The girls have bene coming to practice willing to work hard and that’s all I ask of them,” she said.