Rota shortstop Taylor Zimmerman throws to first base after Naple's Madisun Myers heads to third during the Division II/III DODEA European softball championship game on May 24, 2024, at Kaiserslautern High School in Kaiserslautern, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany – Senior Lucy Black wasn’t too concerned when the Naples softball team convened for the start of the season.

Considering she was one of only two returners and one of just three Wildcats with a modicum of experience in the sport, it may have been hard to see why from the outside.

Black pointed to two reasons. The first was the girls’ work ethic. And the second was freshman pitching sensation Ariana Lopez.

“I knew most of them weren’t really experienced, but they were all hard workers,” Black said. “I think that’s what got us this far.

“I’ve loved to see how much they’ve grown and improved. It was just a wonderful team.”

Black’s nonchalant attitude was proven correct Friday evening at Kaiserslautern High School. The Wildcats defeated Rota 12-2 in the Division II/III title game at the DODEA European softball championships. Friday’s victory clinched a three-peat for Naples (17-1).

It capped off a tournament in which the Wildcats outscored their opponents 64-15 over five games.

The Naples players had no doubts they still could reach the heights to which the program is accustomed despite the major turnover between 2023 and 2024.

“We were definitely coming for it all,” said Lopez, who went five innings in the circle, allowing three hits and fanning eight Admirals (9-5). “We said at the beginning that we wanted to three-peat, and we got it.”

Coach Amy Driscoll said what made this squad special was its united nature.

She mentioned how the players came together in ways past teams hadn’t and wanted to help each other get better. Also, the players on the bench don’t have sour grapes and cheer enthusiastically.

“It’s a team that all 13 bonded, all 13 of them got along so well, all 13 of them encouraged each other all season long,” Driscoll said. “The camaraderie on this team was amazing. It made it just that much more fun to coach.”

The Wildcats had plenty of fun at the plate against Rota.

They recorded nine hits, while putting the ball in play often and forcing the Rota defense to make plays. Anna Gose paced Naples by going 3 for 4 with three runs and two RBI. The junior connected on a triple in the first that helped spark a five-run inning.

It was the first of two such innings for the Wildcats. They repeated the feat in the second.

Naples’ Rose Morales steps on home plate during the Division II/III DODEA European softball championship game against Rota on May 24, 2024, at Kaiserslautern High School in Kaiserslautern, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Naples senior Lucy Black connects with a pitch during the Division II/III DODEA European softball championship game against Rota on May 24, 2024, at Kaiserslautern High School in Kaiserslautern, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Rota’s Maya Petty hits a pitch from Naples’ Ariana Lopez during the Division II/III DODEA European championship game on May 24, 2024, at Kaiserslautern High School in Kaiserslautern, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Naples' Ariana Lopez, left, and Madisun Myers celebrate after teammate Anna Gose, right, scored the final run during the Division II/III DODEA European softball championship game against Rota on May 24, 2024, at Kaiserslautern High School in Kaiserslautern, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Naples ace Ariana Lopez throws to the plate during the Division II/III DODEA European softball championship game against Rota on May 24, 2024, at Kaiserslautern High School in Kaiserslautern, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

To go along with her efforts in the circle, Lopez, the tournament’s most outstanding player, drove in a pair of runs from the plate while going 2 for 4.

Freshman Olivia Fischer also collected a pair of hits.

“We’ve had one or two games where our bats were kind of slow to come alive,” Driscoll said. “Today, from the beginning, our bats came alive, and we kept the energy going.

“We were pretty tired going into this, and I was worried about their energy level, but man, they brought it.”

Despite going down double digits early, Rota showed life in the third inning. The Admirals got on the scoreboard when sophomore Taylor Zimmerman hit a double into right field, scoring senior Mady Orlowski.

Rota followed that up by limiting Naples to just four batters in the bottom half of the inning. Orlowski, the pitcher, and the defense accomplished that against the top of the lineup.

Another run in the fourth and holding the Wildcats to one in the same frame staved off the game’s end until the fifth inning, when Naples scored a run to bring out the mercy rule.

That response didn’t shock coach Leslie Samuelson.

“We are a tough bunch of girls,” she said. “We like being the underdogs. We just don’t give up, and that is really Rota. We fight.”