The region schedule has not been kind to the Fountain Hills High School varsity softball team. The Falcons lost two more region games last week, bringing their record to 3-12 on the season and their 7-1 loss at Northwest Christian marked 10 losses in a row.

The Falcons started the week at home hosting Bourgade Catholic on Tuesday, March 29. The Falcons’ offense struggled throughout the day. Players got on base, but no one could bring their teammates home.

The team’s defense kept their chances alive. They only allowed one run in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, and they nearly came back in the end. The Falcons were down 3-0 to start the sixth, and they were down 3-2 with one inning to play.

Senior Kalista Johnson hit a home run over the fence to start the sixth. Johnson hit an inside-the-park home run the week before, but this was her first career home run to clear the fence.

After Johnson scored, junior first baseman Mia Duda stepped up to bat with two outs. Duda hit her third home run of the season, which leads the team, this one going over the same stretch of fence as Johnson’s ball, and the Falcons were within one run of the Golden Eagles.

“I try to be confident when I’m up to bat and I try to clear my head,” Duda said. “I just kind of hit the ball. I don’t really think. That’s my method in hitting, I just want to make contact with the ball.”

The Falcons didn’t get another run, and they allowed Bourgade Catholic to score three runs in the top of the seventh inning. Their defense cracked at the worst time, and the Falcons were out of home run magic.

“I know one of them was my fault,” Johnson said about the final inning. “I didn’t check at home but there was a runner at first. There were a couple mistakes made.”

The Falcons have been outscored 33-15 in their last four games. They scored more than 10 runs in each of their three wins, but the Falcons are averaging less than six runs per game over their last nine contests. There have also been seven games when the Falcons allowed 10 or more runs to be scored against them.

“I think we did pretty good,” Duda said after Bourgade Catholic. “We just have to practice hitting.”

Duda leads the Falcons in home runs and is tied for the second highest batting average on the season with senior Michaela Quintana. They are both averaging .545, and freshman Sammantha Hughes is leading by averaging .700. The rest of the Falcons are hitting at or below .333.

Duda goes to batting cages with her father in her free time to work on her own hitting. Duda’s older brother was a baseball player for Fountain Hills, and she used to train with both her brother and father.

The Falcons couldn’t get much going against the 8-1 Northwest Christian Crusaders last Thursday, March 31. The Falcons had a chance to end their losing streak at Wickenburg this past Monday, April 4, but the Wranglers are 12-6-1 and results were not available as of press time.

This Friday, April 8, the Falcons host 3-11 Camp Verde at 3:45 p.m. at Fountain Hills Middle School. Next Tuesday, April 12, the Falcons host 8-8 Chino Valley at 3:45 p.m.