![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and it's played such a major role in who I've become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something I'm [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala ('21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
![“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-03-at-4.54.16-PM.png)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC5146-900x601.jpg)
![“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AnnaGert_JinTuan_HoHPhotoEdited-600x900.jpeg)
![“I'm not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AlyssaHuang_EmilyChen_HoHPhoto-900x749.jpeg)
Junior varsity softball scores blowout win 21-2 against Gunderson High School
Freshman Taylor Lam pitched the entire junior varsity game today. The team scored 21 runs and held Gunderson High to 2 runs.
March 14, 2016
The upper school softball team remains undefeated with their commanding 21-2 win over Gunderson High School. This game was a junior varsity game, so seniors were not permitted to play.
The eagles started off strong by scoring five runs in the first inning and certain players had standout performances within the team.
“Taylor Lam, freshman pitcher, we were gonna have her rotate with Kristin LeBlanc, but we said let’s just see how long Taylor can go,” head coach Raul Rios said. “She went the whole way, held her own, and the defense helped her out in the background and they were able to produce a lot of runs for her.”
Many athletes implemented various skills in the game that they had been working on during practices.
“I had been practicing going lefty and slapping, so I did that this game and it was really cool,” third base and pitcher, Kristin LeBlanc (10) said.
When a softball player goes “lefty” that refers to batting on their left hand, and “slapping” is another term for bunting the softball, which means hitting the ball short. This skill is generally done best by left-handed players.
Since this was a JV game, all players, regardless of experience, received more playing time than usual.
Freshman Anika Rajamani swings the ball at an incoming ball. The team scored 21 runs and held Gunderson High to 2 runs.
“We had a lot of new players, so we gave them a lot of opportunities. We just wanted everybody to have fun, get involved, get their feet in the game, and get their confidence level up,” Rios said.
The eagles feel strong and prepared for their next match after this victory.
“We have a very strong team this year with the defense and offense, and even the beginners who are starting out this year are doing very well and played a great game,” said Taylor Lam (9), who pitched this game.
The softball team’s first league game is tomorrow at 4 p.m. against The King’s Academy.
