Photo: Steve Galluzzo
By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor
The first four games of the season were tough sledding for the Palisades High varsity softball team, but the Dolphins got what they needed most Monday in their Western League opener at Fairfax: their first win.
After falling behind 3-0 in the first inning, Palisades rallied to go ahead 4-3 in the fourth and the game was tied 4-4 in the seventh when the Dolphins pushed across two runs, then held the host Lions scoreless in the bottom half.
Anyone not familiar with the program wouldn’t recognize this year’s roster from that of one year ago because seven players graduated, but the eight underclassmen this spring have been learning on the job and Coach Tori Dario, with the help of five seniors and three juniors, has embraced the younger players, all of whom have contributed mightily thus far.
The Dolphins (1-3-1) were well on the way to their first victory Saturday in the Lincoln Classic at Birmingham, opening a 5-1 lead after three innings, but Poly plated four runs over the last two frames for a 5-5 tie in a game stopped because of a time-limit. Hours later the Dolphins lost to Birmingham 11-1 in five innings with senior shortstop Alyssa Wallin singling to score Palisades’ only run in the top of the fifth inning.
Palisades hosts Westchester at 3 p.m. Monday and travels to LACES next Wednesday.
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