2 weeks Ago By Alex VandenHouten
ROCHESTER — As Makenna Red Hill collected swings and misses left and right against crosstown rival Mayo, her sister and catcher, Aubrynn, couldn't help but smile. Aubrynn had seen this version of her older sis before, whether in the backyard or at the local diamond near their house. ADVERTISEMENT But this was about as locked in as Makenna had been when sporting John Marshall across her chest.
"This was one of her best ones for JM," said the freshman Aubrynn. The Spartans, too, were taken aback by what the JM junior was able to do in the circle on April 15. "(Makenna) threw us off like crazy today," Mayo senior Santanna Heise said.
When it was all said and done, thanks to some nasty off-speed pitches, Red Hill allowed four runs — three earned — on six hits with 10 strikeouts. But unfortunately, the JM bats were silenced by Mayo's Amber Condon, who is enjoying a solid season of her own. The Rockets had just two hits, with Makenna collecting one with a bullet off the right-center fence.
In the end, Mayo walked away with a 4-0 win, handing JM its 32nd consecutive loss — a streak that dates back to May 5, 2023. The streak has taken its toll on the players, especially Makenna, who has been in the circle for just about every one of JM's games the past two-plus seasons. ADVERTISEMENT Specifically, last year's games against Mayo — a pair of 12-2 wins for the Spartans — were especially tough.
"I remember last year when talking with (coach Thang) Nguyen after the game, it was just tears," Makenna recalled. Last year, in general, was a tough year for a very young squad. JM had just two seniors, with several underclassmen and middle-schoolers seeing action.
The Rockets finished the year 0-19. "Last year, it was really a struggle, especially the beginning," Makenna said. "After every game, I would go and talk to my mom, God, and she would tell me, you have to tell yourself positive thoughts.
It sounds stupid, but you actually have to do it. "Towards the end of that season, I started pitching well and better, hitting my spots more. At the beginning of the season, it was rough against Winona.
And right after Century, those two were rough games. My mom had the same talk with me, and then I started seeing it. "The Mayo game, I was just like, next batter, (if) they get a hit, good for them.
I got this. I feel like that really helped. Obviously, you have to have a tough mindset going into it, because the team is so young, you just have to keep pushing.
" ADVERTISEMENT "It's definitely hard sometimes," Aubrynn added. But the Red Hills take solace in getting to play the game with each other. They do their best to find the positives even in the toughest of situations.
"Everything hurts more when you're losing," Makenna said. "So I try and pick out the good pieces from each game. Like, oh that was a win for the team.
We did that together, or I got a good strikeout there. When you put those all together, it makes it fun. Even though we're losing, you have to just find the small parts where things went really well for you guys as a team.
" It's a mindset that was instilled by the pair's mother, Cyndy, as demonstrated with her preaching positivity to her eldest child. Like Makenna and Aubrynn, Cyndy too was part of a battery with her sister, Christie. The two were also coached by current JM coach Thang Nguyen, with Cyndy playing catcher for older sister Christie back in the late 1990s.
The two continued that combination at Northern State University, where their names can be found in the record books in several categories. The two have been a bit of an inspiration for Makenna and Aubrynn. ADVERTISEMENT "There was one game where (mom) had to pass kidney stones and she didn't know what to do," Makenna said.
"She had to put her medicine in a cooler and take it during the game." The two think about that story from time to time. They figure if their mom could play catcher while passing kidney stones, then they, too, can grind out the difficulties that come with being on a team amid a long losing streak.
They too want to do it for a coaching staff that has been around JM softball for decades in coach Nguyen, assistant Don Jochum and assistant Mike Breitbach. "I feel like with (coach Nguyen), you want to get better, especially for all the coaching staff, they've always been there," Makenna said. "They're always there for you.
So you want to do better and listen to them for the team." They feel like they are about to turn a corner. If the game against Mayo is any indication, the Rockets are close to doing just that.
Either way, they know through their positivity and attitudes, better days are ahead for JM softball..
