Aragon softball wakes up to 2-0 start in Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division play

The Dons (2-0 PAL Bay, 8-6 overall) used a 14-run second inning to make quick work of Carlmont, at the game was called after the top of the third. Junior leadoff hitter Taylor Workman went 2 for 2 with a pair of loud hits, sophomore Chloe Wan logged two triples and four RBIs, and junior Olivia Mukherjee added two hits with a double and her team-leading 14th RBI of the season.

“Our team is designed to hit hard like this,” Aragon head coach Liz Roscoe said. “That’s the way we’re going to hit all year.”

Workman is one of two players who returned to the lineup for last Thursday’s 16-10 win over Woodside. The NCAA Division I commit to Clemson University is slashing .704/.765/1.370 through nine games as a hard-hitting left-handed bat at the top of the order.

“She’s amazing,” Roscoe said. “She’s really somebody to watch this year. She’s a great athlete, a great teammate. She’s a leader. She’s just so fun to coach with. ... Taylor is just special.”

First baseman Elizabeth Magness also returned to the starting lineup against Woodside after recovering from a broken foot. The senior is 2 for 5 with three RBIs through three games.

“We were playing people out of positions just to try to get through this,” Roscoe said. “We were hoping to be 8-3 (through non-league play) when we ended up being 6-6.”

Carlmont (0-1, 3-5-1) has been decimated by injuries as well.

Senior Alyssa Victory, the Scots’ regular catcher and cleanup hitter, suffered a broken pinky in practice two weeks ago. She is scheduled to have her cast removed next week and is expected to return this season. Senior shortstop Sydney Lapin has been out of action for the past two weeks after sustaining a non-softball related concussion, and sophomore third baseman Emma Gonnikman is out with a knee injury.

“Just rolling with the punches and putting their best foot out there,” Carlmont head coach Madison Gunn said.

The Scots called up two junior-varsity players to fill the void, Genevieve Savage and Scarlett Kisich, but saw another injury strike Tuesday. With the freshman Savage in the circle, a smash back through the middle off the bat of Workman struck Savage in the face mask. Savage initially remained in the game, but was later removed and placed in concussion protocol.

“She’s one of the those kids that wants to play more than anything,” Gunn said. “So, she’ll kind of suck it up at first. But you could see that hit kind of got to her.”

Carlmont struck first in the top of the first, setting the table on a single by Savage and a walk to Miranda McCormick before a double steal provoked an errant throw, allowing Savage cross the plate to give the Scots a 1-0 lead. Aragon escaped the jam, though, when Carlmont junior Micayla Lorber hit a frozen-rope line drive to the right side of the infield, only to have Wan at second base glove it with a backhand and throw behind the runner at third for a double play.

The Dons answered with four runs in the bottom of the frame, highlighted by Wan’s deep drive to right-center that hit the top of the fence and bounced back into play. Missing a her second home run of the year by mere inches, Wan settled for a triple.

Aragon starting pitcher Riley Wideman worked two innings to earn the win, allowing one run on one hit. It marks the first varsity win for the freshman right-hander. Sophomore Makayla Hafoka pitched the top of the third, allowing two runs on three hits before closing it out with her second strikeout.

Roscoe has long been a fan of the pitcher-by-committee approach and, with a team designed to score a lot of runs, plans to employ it again this season.

“That’s my style,” Roscoe said. “I feel like when you go through the batting order once or twice, the batters adjust to the pitchers. ... It’s not about any one. It’s about a team. And we want to win.”

Next up, Aragon travels to San Mateo for a showdown of the PAL Bay Division’s two top lineups. First pitch is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.