Mullen softball’s Dave Atencio picks up win No. 400
Why should it have been easy?
On Wednesday, it took 92 plate appearances, 73 at-bats, 32 runs, 31 hits, 14 walks, 10 errors, four home runs, five pitchers and some 2 hours and 36 minutes, but Mullen was able to hand head coach Dave Atencio his 400th victory.
The Mustangs ultimately outlasted always good Frederick 17-15 in Class 4A nonleague at Santo “Doc” Scavuzzo Field.
Mullen is 5-3 in 2021 and Atencio 400-137 in 28 years.
“It’s very humbling,” Atewncio said afterward. “And it was against a very good team … it’s good to get that piece out of the way. It’s humbling, but a huge confidence builder for us. We’ve given games away in the past, but we didn’t here.”
Said Mustangs senior center fielder Bella Aragon: “It’s well-deserved. He’s one of the best. He’s a great man. He helps us off the softball field and helps us in greater faith.”
The Mustangs needed all of the help they could get against the seventh-ranked Warriors (7-3), who used three pitchers, belted four homers and refused to go away … until the end. As it was, they had one out and bases loaded in the top of the seventh inning, but their rally fizzled.
Mullen led early and often behind a deep cast that was productive. Aragon scored twice and drove in three runs. Elizabeth Brady had four hits and three runs batted in. Morgan Margeson and Avery Walters each scored three runs and had two RBIs. Margeson also had three hits. In fact, every Mustangs starter either hit safely, scored and/or knocked home a run.
In the circle, winner Ona Medina earned the victory in five innings with Margeson coming on for the save over the final two frames.
It was the kind of game Mullen needed, Atencio said, one full of ups-and-downs, back-and-forth and adversity.
“It was good to see them hold on,” he said.
Mullen will host Falcon in nonleague on Friday, Sept. 3, first pitch at 4 p.m. On Saturday, they will travel to Fairview for a taste of 5A, the Mustangs’ first roadie this season.
