On Tuesday night, BW Varsity Softball beat Independence High School 13-3, allowing them to advance to district semifinals. On Thursday they traveled to Woodgrove and fell to the Wolverines 5-4. 

The Falcons started off strong versus Independence with three runs in the first inning. The Tigers, on the other hand, were only able to squeak in one run. The game continued with Briar dominating the scoreboard. The Falcons went on to have seven runs in the 5th inning. Caprice Bohmer, Olivia Hilyer, Alyssa Hoyler, Carley Lobb, and Erica Barrett all had RBIs (runs batted in) contributing to the big victory. Freshman pitcher Caprice Bohmer had a big game with 61 of her 91 pitches being strikes, she had 11 strikeouts total. In the 6th inning the Falcons scored 3 more runs with Independence still trailing far behind. The game ended in a 13-3 Falcon win. 

Next Varsity Softball headed to Woodgrove High School. This game was expected to be a toss up as Briar and Woodgrove are evenly skilled competitors. Both teams were off to a good start and it was clear this was going to be a close game. The pitchers started off strong with at least three strike outs each. Briar had a productive third inning with senior Erica Barrett and junior Olivia Hilyer scoring home runs. Campbell Taylor, Erica Barrett, Emily Collins, and Olivia Hilyer each contributed one of the four runs scored. After a tough fight the Falcons ended up falling to the Wolverines 5-4. 

After the loss to Woodgrove the pressure was on for Briar to beat Stone Bridge. In order to advance to regionals the Falcons needed a win. The pitching for both teams was impressive, the Bulldogs had ten strikeouts and the Falcons had five. By the fourth inning the score was 1-1, both teams eager to gain a lead. At the bottom of the fifth inning Stone Bridge scored a run putting them up 2-1. The game ended in a disappointing loss but Briar fought hard until the end. Junior Emma Celantano had one hit and junior Carley Lobb had one hit and one run. 

Although the outcome wasn’t what the Falcons wanted, they have had many successes during the season to look back at. They went 11-7 in the regular season. Junior shortstop Carley Lobb said one of her favorite moments from the season was “the last inning of the regular season Stone Bridge game that we won 5-2.” Additionally junior catcher Emma Celantano said her favorite moment from the season was “probably beating Stone Bridge during senior night for the first time since 2016.” 

It will be exciting to see what the Falcons do next season!