7th-inning rally lifts Jackson

Published 8:16 pm Wednesday, May 4, 2011

EVERETT– The Cascade softball team threw everything it could at Jackson’s Lindsay Robison. The senior pitcher shrugged it all off and came through both in the circle and at the plate, leading the Timberwolves to a 3-2 victory at Cascade Wednesday.

Behind blue-mirrored sunglasses and a pitchi

ng mask that hid any facial expression, Robison had her way with the Bruin lineup — at least those not named Samantha Munger or Makinlee Sellevold — on the way to a complete-game win, giving up just one earned run.

Robison’s most important contribution, however, may have come with the bat in the seventh inning. With the score tied 2-2, she stepped up and roped a 1-2 pitch from Sellevold for a double to start the game-winning rally.

The win guarantees Jackson (9-3 league, 12-4 overall) at least a share of the Wesco South crown with two league games remaining in the regular season. A win over either Mariner or Kamiak clinches the title.

“I feel no pressure (at bat),” Robison said. “I’m very confident in myself. At that last at bat, I knew she’d miss one and I’d get it. I just waited for that one pitch that I knew she was going to give me.”

Robison finished the game 2-for-3.

In the next at bat, Dewey Davis connected on her first hit in four at bats and drove in Robison.

Sellevold regained composure in the circle and got three straight outs, including one of her nine strikeouts on the day, to give Cascade a chance to comeback in the bottom half of the inning.

After going ahead 1-0 in the fifth and rallying to tie 2-2 in the sixth, the Bruins (7-5, 10-8) had the heart of the order coming up in the seventh to try to finally get to Robison.

Megan Miller struck out looking — one of just two Robison strikeouts on the day — to open the inning. Then Robison walked Munger, who was 2-for-2.

Sellevold, who hit 1-for-2 with an RBI and two walks, stroked the first pitch from Robison to left. It was bobbled by the left fielder and Munger rounded second and broke for third base only to be thrown out, effectively killing the Cascade rally. Chloe McIntosh grounded out to end the game.

Jackson coach Mike Moran was happy with how Robison maintained her composure throughout the day.

“Our pitcher did a pretty good job mixing it up today, because they have some hitters throughout that lineup that are pretty scary,” he said.

On the other side, Sellevold was baffling at times to the Jackson hitters. Megan Cooley and Robison doubled, but few Timberwolves got solid contact off the Bruin freshman.

“We had a couple solid hits, but most of them were just junk balls that happened to land,” Moran said, giving credit to Sellevold.

When the sun shined early in the game, it looked like the home fans might go home happy the same day when Munger and fellow senior captain Rae Dorcas were honored in a pregame ceremony.

Cascade jumped out to a 1-0 edge in the fifth. Taylor Arbuckle singled from the No. 9 spot in the order. She got sacrificed to second and after a pop out and a walk, Sellevold helped her own cause with an RBI single.

In the top of the sixth, Sellevold battled to get two outs after giving up a pair of singles to the first two batters, but Cooley hit a two-RBI double that gave Jackson a 2-1 edge.

Arbuckle drove in Alex Deaver in the sixth to tie the game when the left fielder bobbled her line drive, but the Cascade bats would do no more damage.

Cascade coach Wendy Close was proud of her team, especially Sellevold, for battling throughout the day.

“She’s a workhorse,” Close said. “We rely a lot on her as a freshman. She’s going to have a good career here.”

Sellevold is one big reason her team will be in the district playoffs.

“We didn’t even make it to districts last year,” Close said. “We worked really hard (this year). It’s a real building year. I’m really proud of them.”

Dorcas has missed every game of the season so far with an arm injury, but could return as soon as Friday.

If so, the Bruins will be that much more tough in the playoffs.

Moran expects the Bruins to be in the mix to make the state tournament.

“When districts come, man that’s going to be a dogfight, because anyone that goes there is capable of winning and getting to state.”

At Cascade H.S.

Jackson 000 002 1–3 11 2

Cascade 000 011 0–2 7 1

Lindsay Robison and Dewey Davis. Makinlee Sellevold and Alex Deaver. WP–Robison. LP–Sellevold (6-3). 2B–Cooley (J) 1, Robison (J) 1. Records–Jackson 9-3 league, 12-4 overall. Cascade 7-5, 10-8.