Softball Recap: Casteel Comes Up Short

Casteel was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their fifth straight defeat. They were a single run away from ending the streak, but they lost a 2-1 heartbreaker at the hands of the Chaparral Firebirds. The result was an unpleasant reminder to the Colts of the 12-1 loss they experienced in the pair's previous head-to-head fixture back in April of 2024.

KJ Tipton

Batters Struck Out (Career)

03/14/25 vs Chaparral	7
03/12/25 @ O'Connor	6
03/03/25 vs Tolleson	6
02/28/25 vs Desert Vista	6
03/07/25 vs Xavier College Prep	5

KJ Tipton was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out seven over five innings pitched. Those seven strikeouts gave her a new career-high.

On the hitting side, Casteel saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Addison Cathcart, who went 1-for-3 with one RBI.

Casteel's defeat dropped their record down to 4-7. As for Chaparral, the win (which was their fifth in a row) raised their record to 5-6.

Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Casteel will face off against Mountain Ridge at 3:45 p.m. on Monday. Mountain Ridge is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.8 runs per game this season. As for Chaparral, they will take on Notre Dame Prep at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. Notre Dame Prep's pitching crew has only allowed 2.6 runs per game this season, so Chaparral's hitters will have their work cut out for them.