Opening day in Big 5 softball was pretty much what we expected, with little to separate the four teams in action.
At Washington Field in Eureka, the host Loggers entertained an unbeaten Fortuna team and split a doubleheader, handing the visitors their first loss of the year, while up in Crescent City, the Del Norte girls swept a doubleheader against Arcata with a pair of one-run games.
After going winless a year ago, the Eureka girls could be the most improved team in the H-DL this year, and they showed us exactly why on Saturday.
With senior pitcher Isabel Sanchez in commanding form in the pitcher’s circle, the Huskies edged the home team 3-2 in game one, but the Loggers would earn a split with a 12-7 victory in game two.
Sanchez carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning and finished with 16 strikeouts while walking five.
Sanchez’s final strikeout ended the game with the tying run at third base.
“That was huge for her to step up in that moment,” Fortuna head coach Eric Helms said. “She was really dominant in game one.”
The Eureka girls were held scoreless for the opening six innings and trailed 3-0, but they would make things interesting in the final inning, scoring twice to pull within one run.
The Huskies, however, were able to hold on for the victory, which was their 12th straight to start the season.
Violla Kingsang had a big game for the home team, finishing 1-for-4 for their only hit of the game in the seventh inning, which scored both runs.
The junior standout also made some big plays in center field to rob the visitors of some extra-base hits.
Leading by the narrowest of margins in the fifth inning, the Huskies stretched their advantage to three runs.
Kaylee Castillo hit a double and would score moments later on an Olivia Hayes triple, and Hayes would add to the lead when she reached home plate on a wild pitch.
Check out highlights of those two plays above …
Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com
Junior pitcher Makenzie Wolff had a good day for the Loggers, giving up three earned runs in the opener and striking out nine, while teammate Lola Distefino had a walk and scored a run and Ella Moxon walked twice and also scored a run.
Game two was a different story with the Loggers scoring in five of the six innings they went to bat.
“We played awesome,” Eureka head coach Bob Secor said. “Our pitcher has really put in a lot of hard work and our defense was there the whole time backing her up.
“I feel like the hard work they’ve put in has paid off. It really was a team effort.”
Bailey Brown led the way at the plate in the win, finishing 2-for-3 with a double and a three-run home run in the second inning.
The standout senior also had a stolen base.
Tiffany Harris also had a good game in the win, finishing 3-for-4 with a triple, while Macy Secor finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run.
Moxon (2-for-3 with a triple, a double, two RBIs, a run and a stolen base) and Jaycee Childress (1-for-2, two walks, an RBI and a run) each also hit successfully in the win.
Wolff pitched a complete game for the victory in the circle, giving up six hits and three walks and striking out one.
“She’s come a long ways, and our defense has come a long ways,” Bob Secor said. “Knowing the way we played today, we can beat anybody in our division.”
The hard-hitting Evalynn Little had two hits for the visitors, including a two-run home run, while Hailee Thompson also had two hits, including a triple.
Fortuna’s Mia Tiedeman also drove in two runs on a base hit.
Fortuna used three pitchers in the loss, with Sanchez, Castillo and Addie Collenberg all seeing time in the circle, but none of them had an answer for a dangerous Eureka lineup.
Nine walks by the Huskies pitchers did not help matters, nor did the eight errors they had on defense.
“We just have to play better,” Helms said. “We committed way too many errors in game two and Eureka played almost flawless ball.
“We just have to get better all-around in doubleheaders.”
Eureka is now 4-7 overall, while Fortuna is 12-1.
