Chelsey Ponce shutdown Glenelg Wednesday afternoon. The sophomore allowed three hits and struck out 10, while sister A.J. had two RBI in a 3-0 victory. The Raiders are 10-5 on the season after winning four games last spring.
Atholton High’s surprising softball season continued being a family affair Wednesday afternoon.
Sophomore Chelsey Ponce struck out 10 batters en route to a complete game shutout, and older sister A.J had two hits and knocked in two runs for the visiting Raiders in a 3-0 decision over Glenelg in a Howard County matchup.
“It feels amazing to win here. I am so proud of our team,” said Chelsey. “I pitched pretty good, but there’s always room for improvement and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the future.”
Chelsey allowed three hits in seven innings of work while walking one. She also gave the Columbia school the lead in the top of the fourth with an RBI grounder. The Raiders (10-5 overall, 9-4 in Howard County) avenged a 9-5 loss to Glenelg (12-4, 12-2) two weeks ago.
A.J was just as instrumental at the plate and in the field. The righthander’s two-run single to right field in the top of the fifth stretched the Raiders’ advantage. On defense, the senior second baseman played her position more like a quarterback than a middle infielder, signaling to her teammates and shouting where the ball should be thrown on each and every play.
“A.J. really settles everyone. It allows them to gel as a team and not feel the jitters during the game,” said Atholton coach Maureen Shacreaw. “She’s unbelievable as far as her leadership skills.”
“I can definitely say I’m the loudest girl on the team and out there on the field I like to run my mouth,” said A.J. “It kind of pays off in the end because we know where we’re going with the ball when it’s hit.”
With the victory Atholton (10-5) continues to improve on last year’s win total of four. The streaking Raiders provided league-leading and defending Class 2A state champ Hammond with their only league setback earlier in the season. Shacreaw believes the turnaround in large part contributed to the Ponce sisters’ arrival from California’s Millikan High in August.
“The two of them have brought a different style to the team and raised the mental level of the team,” said Shacreaw. “The chemistry is really positive right now.”
The sisters also believe that the chemistry they’ve forged has benefited their play dramatically.
“We’ve played together for a lot of years. The chemistry between us is apparent out there,” said A.J. “We have a connection and it’s always a fun time playing with my sister. I know she always has my back and I got her back.”
“She’s like my other hand,” said Chelsey. “We are best friends and she’s always there for me to back me up no matter what the play is.”
As the Raiders move towards the postseason, there is no telling how far they could go.
“If you had told me in March that the team has gelled the way they have, I’d probably raise my eyebrows at you,” said Shacreaw. “But they really have, our goal two weeks ago was win ten games, and this is our tenth win. I think this really helps us going into the playoffs.”
Atholton 3, Glenelg 0
Atholton 000 120 0-3 6 0
Glenelg 000 000 0-0 3 1
Ponce and Biegel; Schmidt and Kunze, Segrist and Kunze.
2B: Ath. – A.J Ponce, Makar, Wells.