Carda on cruise control: Elk Grove High softball ace has emerged for the Thundering Herd
She isn’t a power pitcher who fires rise balls like a flame thrower, but Madison Carda succeeds in the circle with touch and efficiency.
Standing 5-foot-1, Elk Grove High School’s diminutive junior softball ace is proof that one does not have to tower to achieve and that a superb defense and prolific offense makes a day in the sun all the more enjoyable.
On Tuesday afternoon in 95-degree heat, the hottest day of the season, Carda kept her cool and kept visiting Rodriguez of Fairfield off balance. The Thundering Herd applied constant pressure by pounding out 12 hits, including five doubles and a triple, to key an 8-1 victory in a CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division II playoff opener.
Carda was Carda. She was not rattled. Carda had a perfect game going into the fifth inning, and though she only struck out one, she allowed no walks, and the Rodriguez run was not earned. Carda long ago earned the admiration and respect of her teammates and coaches.
“Oh, man, she’s just so tough and so good,” Elk Grove assistant coach Dave Berner said as Carda headed to the parking lot with an ice pack taped to her pitching shoulder and a satisfied expression of a job well done.
Said Herd head coach Amanda Buck: “Carda, oh my goodness. She really spins it. She’s not going to strike out 13 because she’s not that kind of pitcher, but she does such a nice job. And our outfield is unbelievable. They haven’t committed an error all season, and they’re the three fastest girls we have on the team.”
The outfield consists of Taylor Fitzgerald, Gabby Sotelo and Addison Buckley. Fitzgerald doubled twice and drove in two runs. Loie Moore, Brooke Hanson, Katelyn Maciel and Adrianna Delaney each drove in a run to advance the Thundering Herd (16-12) into Thursday’s second-round showdown at powerhouse Whitney (18-7) in Rocklin.
Seeded second, Whitney is battle tested from the rigors of the Sierra Foothill League, the top league in the section. The Wildcats rolled Pitman of Turlock on Tuesday, winning with a no-hitter in which Hannah Duncan struck out nine in five innings.
Loss of star could’ve derailed Herd
Elk Grove suffered a major blow when 2022 Bee Player of the Year Aissa Silva graduated early and headed off to Arizona of the Pac-12 to start her scholarship tour in her home state. In this sport at this level, a team is often as good as its pitcher.
Carda is plenty good, and so is her team, a program steeped in tradition, including winning section championships in 2004 and 2010 and six title-game appearances since 2000.
The loss of Silva was either going to buckle the team or bring it closer together. No one buckled.
“It was a stunner,” Buck said of losing Silva. “I’m super proud of this team. They came together. And they work hard. No one works harder. I tell them from Day One that I don’t give handouts or favors. I’ll bust my butt for you if you do for me. We have fun but we also work hard.”
That’s all music to the ears of Carda, a 4.2 GPA student who beams at the idea of studying medicine. Carda embraces the challenge of taking over the lead pitching duties and her role on one of the top programs in the section.
“There’s a lot to play for here,” Carda said. “I’m always a little jittery with butterflies before a game, but then I get focused, and I have a great team behind me. When I pitch, I’m fearless. I try to spin it with pitches.”
Fiery competitor
In sizing up Carda, one quickly realizes that looks can be deceiving. Don’t let the shy smiles fool you. She’d tear one’s heart out in competition, and she’ll do so by inducing grounders and pop ups for her defense to gobble up.
Buck knows and can speak from experience of player impact. She was a star in basketball and softball at Elk Grove from 1997-2000 and has coached the Thundering Herd for 10 seasons.
“She is such a sweet, quiet kiddo, but she has a lot of passion for the game,” Buck said of Carda. “This is the biggest role she has been in, but man, she is handling it so damn well.”