by Chris Jones ·
Friday, May 8, 2026
Audrey Slavin (#22) and Gigi Benway (#15) react to a pop-up hit. (Photos by Hannah Taylor)
If there is such a thing as a “good loss,” the Bromfield varsity softball team achieved it when they bowed to the Gardner Wildcats 10-5 on Monday, May 4. The team proved they are headed in the right direction.
In the first meeting with Gardner, Bromfield (1-7) lost 12-0, and the game ended in five innings because of the mercy rule. However, the team didn’t have freshman Bianca Bazarnick that day. That wasn’t the case Monday.
On a beautiful but breezy afternoon, where the wind stirred clouds of dust straight out of an old Western, Bazarnick pitched five strong innings, striking out 10 without allowing an earned run. Head coach Matt Benway recognized the importance of Bazarnick’s performance: “The final score was not indicative of the pitching. If we play perfect defense, we probably win the game 5-4.”
Gardner jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first, but in the inning’s bottom half, the Wildcat’s starting pitcher Violet Walsh couldn’t find the strike zone. Walsh walked four batters and after singles by Audrey Slavin and Aven Overmiller, the Trojans found themselves ahead 5-2.
Bazarnick continued to battle, and by the end of the third inning, she had recorded seven strikeouts using a mix of fastballs and change-ups. Last year, as an eighth-grader playing varsity, Bazarnick struck out 145 batters in 85 innings. This season, tendonitis in her knee has limited her time on the mound.
Charlotte Adamy watches a high pitch.
Despite her strong outing, the score was tied 5-5 by the end of the fifth inning. Inconsistent defense and base running had taken their toll. “We had some shaky plays in the field, some base running mistakes … we don’t have a lot of base running experience this year, so we got on base, but we’re a little rusty,” Benway said.
In the top of the sixth, Aven Overmiller relieved Bazarnick. Overmiller struck out the side but needed 34 pitches to do it. Three hits and two errors led to four runs, but only one of the runs was earned. The errors and missed opportunities told the story. Benway knew it: “[With Aven,] there’s one earned run, yet there’s four runs scored in the inning. It’s fielding and defense, but our pitchers were very consistent.”
As was Gardner (4-5), who, as a team, only committed one error on the afternoon. Wildcat center fielder Meagan Minns hauled in numerous fly balls, and if those drives had fallen for hits, Bromfield might have won.
Despite the loss, Coach Benway believes the team is making progress: “We’re having a good time … cheering is consistent, our support, our readiness … and we’re building a culture. There are a lot of good players coming up, and everything is moving in the right direction.”
Bromfield will try for its second win of the season on Wednesday, May 6 at Tahanto.