After “run ruling” Marcus 10-0 last Friday, the softball girls, now 1-1 in district, will be going head to head with Denton Ryan on the road tonight at 7 p.m. since Wednesday’s games were rescheduled because of rain. After playing Flower Mound and Marcus, senior Megan Haggard said that Denton Ryan should be a less intense game to play.

“We know that they’re not exactly the caliber of Flower Mound but we’re still preparing ourselves same way we did for the Marcus game,” Haggard said. “We know a little bit about their pitchers so we’re really focusing on our hitting and keeping up with our defense.”

One challenge the girls will be facing on the Raiders’ team is junior pitcher Carol Raabe. According to Haggard, Raabe is ranked as a top pitcher in DFW.

“She’s doing her job, so we’re going to have to do our job as a team,” Haggard said.

Denton Ryan’s first district game was against Marcus, a 14-0 loss for the Raiders. However, Haggard said they are approaching this game just like any other strong opponent.

“Any given team can be beaten on any given day, so they’re going to bring their ‘A-game’ just as we did, and if they lost 14-0 to Marcus, well good for Marcus, but I feel like they’re going to come and give us their all,” Haggard said.

Haggard said that as the competition begins to roll out, the team has become more intense, and the girls are completing games with higher energy and playing with their heads pulled together.

This sudden strength showed Friday night when the girls crushed the Marauders.

“It was phenomenal,” Haggard said. “We did what we needed to do in the first inning. [Sophomore pitcher] Maribeth [Gorsuch] did a great job in the circle. Everyone did their job, and we got five runs in, so that really helped us in the beginning to the game. It gave Marcus a run for their money. As a team we weren’t content with what we had so we pushed for more, and in the end we got it.”

Haggard said this win will boost the girls’ confidence, especially after the loss against Flower Mound. The girls had lost extra innings, but now the team has started hitting the ball more, a key factor to the win against Marcus, along with  solid defense.

“I think it definitely put it in perspective for some girls,” Haggard said. “We definitely have the ability to do it. We’re excited and we’re ready to play.”