Sitting at 15-1, the Riverbend girls softball team is poised to give the school golf team a run for its money as best squad in the school—and maybe even in a position to challenge the 07 girls soccer team as best team in school history. The girls have outscored opponents 128-16 this year, making for an average score of 8 to 1, and they show no sign of slowing down.

The key to the team’s success is simply—everything they do, they do extremely well.  Junior pitcher  Mallory Ratcliff has given up only 11 runs in 104 innings, struck out 188, and has 13 wins already under her belt.  They have a lineup that includes eight players batting over .300: junior Emerald Cheesbrew (.571), sophomore Sydney Romine (.571), junior Kelly Doyle (.523),  sophomore Hannah Marstellar (.500), Ratcliff (.462), senior Mykala Johnson (.368), junior Kayla Mathews (.333), and senior Christina Beck (.311). Ratcliff leads the team in RBIs with 20. Marsteller tops the club in runs scored with 23, and Cheesbrew boasts the best homerun total on the club with 3.

The sole blemish on the Bear’s near perfect record came in just the 2^nd game of the season against foe and conference powerhouse Hylton. The team, however, will have a chance to repay their debt in the last game of the regular season as they travel to the Prince William County school, and they will likely see them again even after that in the conference championship game.

Beating Hylton, closing out the regular season with one loss, securing a number one playoff seed, winning a conference championship, making it to states—all of these goals are still uncertain. However, one thing is for sure,  if you make it out to Riverbend softball game, you’ll be in for a good time.