Softball players celebrate senior night with 17-1 win over Merrillville, running winning streak to four games

Tom Keegan
Onwardtrojans.com

Long after they forget the final score of a 17-1 victory over Merrillville in a game that lost its suspense the day it was scheduled, the five honorees on senior night will remember the names of the four girls with whom they shared their careers.
The girls filled out forms listing their plans, their favorite memories and the advice they have for teammates and Luke Eliser, the public address announcer, read them as the girls were escorted to home plate by a parent or parents.
A sampling of some of the girls’ comments:
Center fielder/leadoff hitter Alexia Franco, who plans to attend Indiana University Northwest to start her path toward achieving a long-term goal to become a dentist in thanking her parents: “I’ll never forget the early morning rides, the way you showed up to every game, whether it was freezing or blazing hot, or how you managed to juggle everything for all four of us kids. Dad, thank you for teaching me what it means to work hard, and mom for teaching me how to juggle life with patience and love.”
A member of the National Honor Society, Rilee Henry plans to play softball at Manchester University, where she intends to major in exercise science to become an athletic trainer or physical therapist. Henry has started in that line of work by serving as an intern with the CHS athletic trainers. She also has made time to become an editor of the yearbook, join Natural Helpers and fill the role of secretary of Student Organ Donation Advocacy.
Her advice for teammates: “Do not let softball define who you are, stay positive and stay kind.”
Morgan Darnell, who will attend Indiana State University to study criminology and criminal justice, lists hitting her first home run against rival Valparaiso as her favorite softball memory.
When catching, Darnell was a favorite of umpires because of her friendly demeanor.
“At the end of the day, nobody really remembers your performance,” Darnell wrote. “They remember your attitude. So, let them remember you in a positive way. Just smile a little. And besides, smiling feels better anyway.”
Claire Demeter, who plans to study engineering at Purdue University, called “jamming out in the locker room after a big win, especially Valpo,” her favorite memory.
Demeter is a member of the National Honor Society, the advanced orchestra, AP mentoring, Natural Helpers, and founder of the 3D printing club.
Aubree Bergner, a player in younger years and the team manager this season, like Darnell, referenced the Valpo games.
“Every year after beating our rivals, Valpo, we would go into the locker room screaming our favorite song, but my most important memory is seeing everybody playing the sport they love and seeing them get excited after having an amazing play,” wrote Bergner, who plans to study psychology at Ivy Tech.
As for what happened in the game that ran the Trojans record to 5-5 overall, 4-3 in the DAC, and extended their winning streak to four, Chesterton scored six runs in the first, eight in the second and three in the third.
Demeter and sophomore Kylee Fieffer drove in four runs apiece. Fieffer scored four runs, doubled twice and went 3 for 4. Demeter scored two runs and doubled. Ava Vagner continued her hot streak going 2 for 3 with two runs, two RBI and a double. Lexi Smith scored three runs and drove in one.
Ava Vagner earned the win, allowing one run in five innings on three hits and no walks. She struck out 10.