A week before their last game on Wednesday, May 11, Freedom’s girls’ softball team could be seen at practice motivating each other as the season comes to a close. One could say this season has taken a toll on the girls, but they continued to keep their heads up and their hopes high by practicing as much as six days a week. In attempts to fulfill their hopes of winning a game, the team members rotated between practicing their positions, returning ground balls and hitting 55 mph balls in the cage. Juggling all of these rigorous tasks, the team suffered many injuries over the course of the season. Senior Kellie Mercier, one of the four co-captains of the team, has had “too many [injuries] to count.” When leading off of third base, Mercier was “beamed” with a ball in her forearm, leaving a sizeable bruise. As of May 11, Kellie’s bruise seems like a scrape compared to the wounds Sophomore Madeline Lewis and Senior Kristi Tibolet have. Lewis and Tibolet were both going for the ball when they collided; Lewis with a bloody mouth, and Tibolet with a bloddy elbow. Lewis and Tibolet left the game early to rush to the emergency room. But before Lewis could go to the ER, she had to make a quick stop at the dentist office to get her wiggling central incisor glued in. If that wasn’t enough, the inning after the first accident, Sophomore Patricia Johnson, who was Lewis’s temporary replacement, tore her MCL running to first base. “Keep your head up,” Mercier said regarding her personal motto. “Obviously it has been a hard season, but we learned a lot from it all, and we continue to get better.” The consensus of the team was that overall, they improved their skills in hitting, pitching and fielding. Team veterans like Sophomore Caitie Bohach believe that the team has improved 150 percent from years prior. Along with their improved skills comes an improved motto as well: rekindle the fire. This motto not only fits their struggle to improve their individual skills, but their team as a whole. Just like it takes time to achieve a roaring flame, their team spirit slowly continues to grow. Many of the girls hold the memories made with their fellow teammates close to their heart, calling them their favorite part of the season. “They’re learning a new style,” Coach Mike Braddock said. “We’ll get better. I’m going to be here for years to come; I have no intent of leaving. I’ve accepted my challenge.”