Edmonds-Woodway softball tops Terrace 7-5 in 8 innings

MOUNTLAKE TERRACE — The Edmonds-Woodway and Mountlake Terrace softball teams opened Wesco 3A South play by adding another thrilling chapter to their rivalry.

Heidi Davis hit a tiebreaking two-run single into left field, lifting the visiting Warriors to a 7-5 win over the Hawks in eight innings Wednesday at Mountlake Terrace High School.

“I was just really hyped up and wanted to get some runs in, because I wanted to win this game badly,” Davis said of her go-ahead single with two outs in the top of the eighth.

“So I just took that energy to the plate. … I just watched the pitch out of the pitcher’s hand and hit it as hard as I could.”

The back-and-forth extra-inning thriller marked the fifth consecutive game between the Edmonds School District rivals that’s been decided by three runs or less. Each team reached its respective classification’s state quarterfinals last season, and both squads enter as favorites in the Wesco 3A South race.

“We’ve all played select together,” Davis said of the rivalry, “and we all really just wanted to show our best. We wanted to show what our school can do together, so I think that’s why we always have competitive games against Terrace.”

After surrendering three runs in the first inning, Edmonds-Woodway pitcher Kyra Collingridge settled in and allowed just two runs and five hits over the final seven frames.

The senior hurler escaped a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the seventh, inducing an inning-ending pop out to force extra frames.

“Sometimes she likes to scare us a little bit,” Warriors coach Mike Venable said with a laugh, “but she can always come through in the clutch. … When she’s out there on the mound, I know she’s going to give us her best and keep us in the ballgame. And that’s what she did again today.”

Edmonds-Woodway junior Mya Fegler helped set the stage for Davis’ extra-inning heroics with a one-out double down the left-field line in the top of the eighth. Collingridge followed with a walk and Kaitlyn Rust grounded out to second, moving the runners to second and third for Davis.

The senior outfielder, who finished 3-for-5, then grounded a hard two-run single between shortstop and third base to give the Warriors a 7-5 lead. Collingridge followed by pitching a scoreless bottom of the eighth to seal the victory.

“I was really proud of our team,” Venable said. “I thought they played really well as a team and everybody contributed, so it was fun to see and good to get that first win.”

Mountlake Terrace (1-3 overall, 0-1 Wesco 3A) jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first on a Jazz Zenk run-scoring single and a Kierra Scott two-run base hit into left field.

Edmonds-Woodway (1-3, 1-0) surged in front with five unearned runs in the third while sending 10 batters to the plate and capitalizing on a pair of Hawks errors.

Annika Forseth gave the Warriors a 4-3 lead on a two-run single into left field past a diving third baseman. Gracie Boyd then grounded a run-scoring base hit up the middle to make it 5-3.

“I feel like had we been able to keep our gloves and play defense for (that) inning, it definitely would’ve been a different outcome,” Mountlake Terrace coach Shannon Rasmussen said. “Our defense had one tough inning, made some errors and gave up five unearned runs — and it’s tough to come back from that.”

The Hawks made a pair of run-saving plays in the fifth and sixth innings, throwing out two runners at the plate to keep it a two-run game.

With two outs in the bottom of the sixth, Mountlake Terrace sophomore Jamie Bingaman grounded a run-scoring single into left field to make it 5-4. Laney Flynn, the ensuing batter, then hit a deep game-tying double off the right fielder’s glove.

The Hawks were 60 feet away from a walk-off in the bottom of the seventh, but Edmonds-Woodway escaped the jam before scoring the deciding runs in the extra frame.

“It was a really good team effort, and hopefully this will carry us on to a successful season,” Venable said. “It’s a good start.”