The Eagles softball team had a slow start to their season, losing their first four games. Most teams would take this as a reason to give up and throw away the rest of the season, but not this team.

“We don’t really let [losses] affect our mindset, we kind of just come back and we push harder in the next game,” said senior captain Dominique Dabu.

Their fifth game was a turning point with this mentality when they beat Edina 12-2. The win set the Eagles in motion, winning three of their next four games. Two of these wins came in conference games.

There have been times when scoring runs was tough for the Eagles, but not in a game against Prior Lake which went into extra innings. Why is this so special? Prior Lake is undefeated and sits on top of the conference. The Eagles lost, but only by one run.

“When we put our minds to it, we do really well,” Dabu said.

In a conference where fourth place and tenth place are separated by only two wins, the close game against Prior Lake was huge. The Eagles showed themselves, along with the rest of the conference, that they could play with the top dogs.

An advantage the Eagles have over teams like Prior Lake is depth. Apple Valley is heavy on the experience end, with 11 total players from the junior and senior class.

“I don’t know if we’ve had the same lineup for multiple games yet this year,” head coach Chris Sikich said.

This depth and constantly shifting lineup is key to success in the rest of the regular season. Senior Megan Munro suffered a broken arm against Eastview and will be out for the rest of the season – she led the team with four home runs and 13 RBIs.

“Now we need someone to step up and fill [Munro’s] void … I’m excited to see who that person will be,” Sikich said.

Three of the final four games are conference games. Any number of wins will bump the Eagles from the bottom of the conference to the middle or even top four. The higher the Eagles finish in the conference, the better seed they can get in sections, which potentially gives them an easier section tournament.

“We’re planning on finishing out strong in hopes to gain confidence as we get into sections,” senior captain Ellie Bonin said.

Their next two home games are Saturday, May 14, at 9:30am against Shakopee and Monday, May 16, at 4:30pm against South St. Paul.

The Eagles hope to jump up higher in the conference standings, giving them a boost in the section tournament.