COUGARS PULL OFF IMPROBABLE COMEBACK

By Gabie Tesoro

In a rainy championship battle between the JFK Islanders and the Academy Cougars, it looked like the Islanders were in control and the girls fastpitch softball championship in sight.

Up 5-0 heading into the bottom of the sixth, JFK had strong pitching and sharp defense on their side.
Behind a huge sixth-inning rally and leadership from juniors Kiersten Fernandez and Aubrey Manibusan, the Cougars fought back to win 8-5 and claim their third straight championship title.

When the pressure was highest, Fernandez and Manibusan stepped up.

“As Cougars, we always believe in ourselves no matter what,” Fernandez said. “We put in the hard work, so we trusted ourselves and knew we could push through all the way until the last inning.”

Manibusan credited the team’s dugout energy. “Energy, for sure, changed the game,” she said. “They’re our backbone and the reason we’re up.”
The mindset never changed, even when the scoreboard didn’t look good.

Islanders Took Control

JFK struck first, emphasizing on an early error to get on the board.

Junior pitcher Destiny Tangadik was dominant through five innings, mixing speeds and racking up strikeouts to hold Academy scoreless.

By the fifth inning, the Islanders had built a 5-0 lead. Their defense made smart plays at home and at third, and they applied pressure with bunts and smart out plays.

“I really felt the energy as soon as we got here,” Tangadik said. “I just hoped we pushed a little more at the end.”

Academy head coach Marissa Maratita-Matanane said her team expected that intensity.

“We already told the girls that the JFK team we saw in the very first game was not going to be the same JFK we’d see today,” Maratita-Matanane said. “They have great coaches and a lot of talent. It was definitely going to be a battle. It was going to come down to who executed the most, made the least amount of errors, and pitching.”

Cougars Flip the Momentum

Then, at the bottom of the sixth the momentum shifted.

Academy exploded for eight runs on six hits to take an 8-5 lead. The dugout came alive and the bats heated up.

It was senior leader Sadie Guerrero who came up with the monster hit of the game, a bases-loaded hit that drove in the final three runs for the championships.

“What did we do differently? Nothing,” Maratita-Matanane said. “We always tell the girls, stay in this. We’re still in this. No matter if we’re down five, there’s always a chance to turn the game around.”

With their top of the lineup coming up in the sixth, the Cougars delivered. Kiersten Fernandez was especially active on the base paths, while Aubrey Manibusan came through with key at-bats that kept the inning alive.

“We were just really hungry,” Fernandez said. “This was for our seniors. This is their legacy.”

Statement Win

JFK didn’t back down in the later innings. They battled late and showed just how much they’ve grown since their first game with Academy earlier this season.

Amidst the heavy rain, the Cougars persevered and finished with a statement win. “Our theme this year has been perseverance. It’s never how we start, it’s how we finish,” Maratita-Matanane said.

Academy added another championship to its softball legacy, while the loss gives a talented JFK squad plenty of motivation heading into next season.

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