The Westchester softball team defeated L.A.C.E.S. 12-9 to win the CIF City Section Division IV championship at Birmingham High School. This is the first time in 27 years that the Comets have won a City Section championship in softball.
“I feel proud of my teammates,” said junior Tyler Giddens. “Over time, especially from the beginning of the season, we’ve had a lot of chances to see each other grow and I feel like that all led up and added up especially towards the championship.”
Senior Raine Green, and sophomores Eviyah Johnson and Laylah Ali hit three RBI each. Ali pitched for seven innings, striking out eight batters.
Ali hit a pivotal double that helped the Comets get an advantage in the game.
“For the first few innings, us and L.A.C.E.S. were going back to back with runs,” Ali said. “Until the bottom of the fifth inning … and from there, we just shut it down.”
Green, the team co-captain, made two hits, one being a triple.
“It means a lot because the past four years here has been very rocky. I had a big slump last year,” Green said after Westchester defeated Reseda 13-3 in the City Section Semifinals. “The whole team worked so hard during practices and games to get here.”
Green hit a pivotal grand slam against Reseda, which helped Westchester gain the lead during the Semifinals.
After winning in the Semifinals, the players were constantly communicating with each other. Via a group chat between them and their coaches, the student athletes analyzed their strengths and weaknesses against L.A.C.E.S.. Both teams are in the Western League.
“I literally said on Thursday “we got it guys, we gotta stick together,”” said junior Madelyn Blades. “If something happens, whether it’s an error or strikeout or even a walk, it doesn’t matter, we’re going to come back from it.”
Comets co-captain and junior Arianna Green noted how having confidence helped the team be successful throughout the playoffs.
“I love seeing my teammates hit the ball and we’re all coming in, chanting their names,” Arianna said. “When we win, it’s all celebration, all crazy, we all get real excited, smiles, cheers, and all that.”
The Comets have been met with both disdain and intrigue on their journey to the championship.
“This is an All African American group of young ladies. One of the other obstacles are the microaggressions that they face coming in,” said Westchester softball coach Justin Cohen. “Not only are [the Comets] going to play, they’re going to play at a higher level, both mentally, physically, socially, collaboratively.”
Westchester also had to battle through the rigors of the Western League. The league houses Palisades, Hamilton, and the Open Division contender Venice. The Comets came into the playoffs fifth in the Western League.
“I think some challenging moments always for our team is when we play Venice or [Palisades] … we tend to get down on ourselves,” said sophomore Milani Jones. “Even though we lost, we tried to stay positive … just because we lost bad against one team doesn’t mean we can’t play good against the rest.”
Cohen, along with coaches Kazumi Igus and Scott Kido, reworked the softball program 13 years ago. They also added Troy Brown to the coaching staff this season.
Parents of the student athletes were a key source of support, attending games regardless of how far they had to drive. They built a strong bond with each other.
“The relationship they have just benefits us,” Giddens said. “Being able to see that, it makes me feel more welcome when playing the sport.”
While winning a championship was important, the Comets knew that their grades must come first.
“We had an academic awards ceremony that basically every last one of our players got,” Giddens said. “I feel like that sets the tone as how memorable not just our team but the program is.”
Many of the student athletes battled through injuries, seen and unseen. Giddens played at catcher with a wounded thumb. During the season, Jones began bleeding after diving headfirst; she bandaged her wound and continued playing without telling anyone. Blades played at first base with an injured hand.
“My hand was purple after the Semifinals game and we had practice the next day and we had to hit,” Blades said. “Coach Kido told me “I don’t know if I want you to work on hitting today” and I’m like “no, I want to hit.””
The Comets softball team garnered support from classmates and teachers; members of the baseball team would attend games. The Reseda softball team also attended the championship game.
“A memorable part for me would probably be the community that we had,” Blades said. “Whether it’s our coaches lifting us up … or the family coming out.”
