Jennifer Kelner

The Lions went 2-4 over the course of the weekend long tournament.

In the middle of the first game of the NCSY 4G softball tournament against Naaleh High School for Girls in New Jersey, the girls varsity softball team was down 6-0. Sophomore Jordana Dauber stepped up and learned a new way of pitching in accordance with the tournament’s rules, changing the course of the game. 

Members of the girls varsity softball team participated in the NCSY 4G softball tournament at Camp Dora Golding from May 2-4 for the first time, along with other girls softball teams representing six different Jewish day schools in the country. This all-girls tournament, along with the accompanying Shabbaton, was a chance for a friendly competition with other Jewish schools.

The first games of the tournament took place on Friday. The Lions had to reconfigure how to play the game, as the tournament was a slightly modified version of softball that is not standard in the PVAC. Some of the main differences in the rules for these particular softball games included slow-pitch instead of fast-pitch and ten players on the team, with four outfielders rather than three, as opposed to the PVAC’s nine player rule. In order to compensate, two girls from Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy joined the JDS team.  

“It took some getting used to at first,” sophomore Lyla Silberg said, “but eventually it was just so much fun and I met so many new people.”

The Lions’ first game on Friday was against Naaleh. A major factor in the Lions’ 6-3 loss was the slow pitching and defense by the other team. In response to the slower pitching, the Lions developed sophomore Jordana Dauber as a pitcher, significantly contributing to the Lions’ successes later in the tournament. Later, they played Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy & Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School in Livingston, New Jersey, and won 18-2, despite the rain mid-game, with successful hitting by the team and pitching by junior Mia Forseter.

“I think that considering all of the adjustments, we did a great job,” sophomore Yarden Wilkenfeld said. “We did a great job working as a team and lifting each other up.”

Later in the day on Friday, everyone got ready for Shabbat and began the Shabbaton. On Saturday, there was a range of activities and field games for everyone to participate in, like spikeball, or to just relax and talk to new friends. Despite being a pluralistic school participating in an NCSY program with Orthodox schools, JDS students took the opportunity to connect through shared values and a love of softball.

“Shabbat was an especially fun experience,” Silberg said. “We were all singing the Shabbat prayers together and making new friends.”

On Sunday morning, the softball games resumed. Out of all four games they participated in, JDS won two. The first game on Sunday the Lions played was against Ilan High School in New Jersey, and JDS took the win 4-0. Later in the day, JDS played Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls in Teaneck, New Jersey, and lost in a tiebreaker.

The tournament was originally supposed to end on Monday but, due to the rain, was cut short. As the weekend came to an early close with Ma’ayanot winning the tournament, everyone said goodbye to the new friends they made and departed on their drive back home. 

“I’m really proud of our team, the sportsmanship was excellent,” girls varsity softball head coach Thomas Worden said. “Everybody put their best foot forward.”