It was a night full of emotion, celebration, and ultimately, resilience as the Fremont Ross Lady Giants softball team pulled out a thrilling 9–8 victory over St. Joe on Senior Night. Before the first pitch, the Lady Giants honored their six senior leaders—Alex Brake, Sara Gross, Karsen Rau, Addison Schoch, Kenna Tooman, and Alivia Weisenauer—for their dedication and contributions to the program.
But when the game got underway, the emotions of the night may have briefly rattled the home team. Ross struggled out of the gate, surrendering three runs in the top of the first inning on a pair of errors. The early 3–0 deficit didn’t faze the Lady Giants for long, however.
They began to chip away at the lead in the bottom of the second, plating two runs to close the gap. St. Joe responded with a run of their own in the third, but Ross answered immediately, tying the game at 4–4 by the end of the inning.
The turning point came in the fourth, when Rubi Almaguer stepped to the plate and launched a towering three-run homer to right field, igniting the Fremont crowd and giving Ross a 7–4 lead. The Lady Giants added another run in the inning to stretch their advantage to 8–4.
St. Joe refused to go quietly, capitalizing on more Ross miscues in the fifth to claw back within a run at 8–7. Ross added a key insurance run in the bottom of the inning—just enough breathing room to hold on.
St. Joe mounted one final push in the sixth, scoring again to make it 9–8, but Ross played a clean top of the seventh, locking down the victory and giving the senior class their 11th win of the season.
The Lady Giants were hot at the plate all night, pounding out 13 hits. Senior Sara Gross led the offensive attack, going a perfect 4-for-4 with an RBI. Almaguer had a big night, finishing 3-for-4 with 3 RBIs and the critical home run. Senior Alivia Weisenauer added a 2-for-4 performance with an RBI and a double, while Mady Hammer chipped in with two hits in three at-bats.
In the circle, Brooklyn Berndt earned the win for Ross. The right-hander went the distance, pitching all seven innings and allowing eight runs—only two earned—while striking out nine.
Despite some defensive lapses, the Lady Giants showed their grit and determination on a night meant to honor their seniors. With the postseason approaching, this gritty comeback could be the spark Ross needs to make a deep run.