Washington-Lee Softball Team Celebrates New Field With 16-1 Win Over Stuart

The Washington-Lee Generals softball team broke in its new $1 million field Monday night with a 16-1 win over the JEB Stuart High School Raiders.

The field, at the corner of Washington Boulevard and North Quincy, next to the Washington-Lee football field, opened Monday. It was built by Arlington County and Arlington Public Schools, and will be a joint-use facility — that is, residents can go through the county to reserve it for use when the Generals aren't playing, schools spokesman Frank Bellavia told Patch.

"…The field was great," Washington-Lee softball Coach Will Downs said in an email.

Construction began in the fall, though wet weather caused some delays. The team had been playing on an older field that didn't have an outfield fence and had fallen into disrepair, Bellavia said.

"The parents of the students who play softball came to us and asked for a new field, so we worked with the county to put up a new field," he said. "It fills a need. The girls needed a new place to play. This gives them that and it gives the county a new field for them to use."

The new field features seating for 280 people, lighting, a press box, a new scoreboard and a removable fence, he said.

The Generals softball team is 12-5 and has just a handful of games left before the season ends. Tuesday night's game was canceled. They'll face the Raiders again Wednesday night at Stuart.