All hands on deck for Aragon softball

And while Grant and slugging sister Liv DiNardo did what they do — they each hit a home run — it was the performance from the rest of the team that proved Aragon is more than a two-woman show in a 7-1 win over Hillsdale.

“It goes beyond [just Liv and I],” Grant said. “Which is what makes the team special.”

Brooklyn Blake, hitting in the No. 6 spot, showed she is not one to sleep on as her second-inning homer to center got Aragon (3-0 PAL Bay, 7-3 overall) on the scoreboard with a 1-0 lead. Marlena Marshall and Morgan Marburger, the Dons’ No. 8 and 9 hitters, both reached base and scored, while Janelle Jee continues to produce, hitting between DiNardo and Grant, coming up with a pair of RBIs.

“We’re working very hard … to make sure 4 through 9 (in the batting order) are part of that hitting thing,” said Aragon head coach Liz Roscoe.

All in all, it was a strong all-around performance from the Dons and establishes them as a contender for the PAL Bay Division title.

But Aragon is long way from that, Roscoe said.

“Every game (is important) for me,” Roscoe said. “I’m anxious to get a win (every time). I don’t take anything for granted.”

But playing Hillsdale (1-2, 4-3) takes on special meaning. While the two schools are already athletic rivals, the softball teams are especially close — as are the parents and families for each team, who looked as if they were attending a family reunion in the stands and the area around the backstop at Aragon’s field.

“Hillsdale is always a pleasure to play,” Roscoe said. “[Both sides] are passionate (about the game). This is the one game you want to win.”

And while the girls on each team grew up playing with each other, they were definitely trying to beat each other Tuesday. After Blake’s bomb for a 1-0 Aragon lead in the bottom of the second inning, Hillsdale put pressure on Dons’ starter Rae D’Amato. Ashley Driscoll drew a walk to start a rally. She stole second and then went to third on a Kristen Conliffe sacrifice bunt. A.J. Abad followed and lifted a flyball to shallow right field. Aragon right fielder Jee made the catch and fired a seed to the plate, where catcher Caroline Harger was waiting to make a tag on Driscoll, who was trying to score on the play.

But Driscoll managed to get her foot under Harger and to the plate before a thigh-high tag and Driscoll was safe with the tying run.

The sequence invigorated the Knights. Claire Shelton came up with a two-out single and then beat the throw to second on a Hannah Levy fielder’s choice.

Roscoe turned to her bullpen and summoned Brooke Tran to put out the fire and Tran came to the rescue, but it wasn’t without some trepidation. She came in to face Hillsdale clean-up hitter Alex Bunton, who lifted a drive into the right-center field gap. But D’Amato, who had been moved to center field, got on her horse and chased the ball down to end the threat and keep the game tied at 1-all.

“That is nothing new,” Roscoe said, adding she has no problem going to Tran in high-pressure situations. “It’s not pressure to her. I could put her in with the bases loaded and she won’t feel pressure. She’s handled it very well.”

Tran would go on to earn the win, working 4 1/3 innings, allowing three hits.

Her effort was made a lot more comfortable once the offense got going and while there is a concerted effort to make sure everyone else feels like they’re doing their part, the Dons definitely go as DiNardo and Grant go — their two Division I commits.

Grant, who will be heading to UCLA in the fall, was appearing in just her fourth game and continues to be the best show in town. She put her mark on the game in the third. After Jee reached on an error, Grant followed with a towering home run to right field for a two-run shot and a 3-1 Aragon lead.

In the fourth, the Dons took control with three more runs. The big blow was a two-run single from Jee, who moved up to second on a throw home. That proved to be an important base as Grant followed with a single up the middle for her third RBI of the game.

“I wouldn’t call it a groove,” said Grant, who in four games, is 8 for 11 at the plate, with 10 RBIs and three homers.

“It’s a natural thing. I expect it of myself.”

Said Roscoe: “She’s in mid-season form.”

DiNardo rounded out the scoring with her blast to center field to lead off the bottom of the sixth. It was fifth of the season for the University of Arizona-bound DiNardo and the 24th RBI of the season in just nine games.

“Winning this game is a plus and it means we’re going in the right direction,” Grant said.