Glacier Peak softball tops Lake Stevens to clinch playoff berth

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, May 10, 2023

SNOHOMISH — The Glacier Peak High School softball team kept its bats hot from start to finish as the Grizzlies ended their regular season with a 13-3 victory over Lake Stevens in five innings at Glacier Peak High School, clinching a bi-district playoff berth.

Seniors Faith Jordan and Laila Carpenter each homered twice and had five RBI apiece as Glacier Peak used a six-run first inning to deliver a crucial win to secure a top-three finish in the Wesco 4A regular-season standings.

With the loss, the Vikings (13-6, 3-5) were eliminated from postseason contention. A win would have forced a play-in game for the third-and-final spot from Wesco in the 4A District 1/2 Tournament, which starts May 15 at the Phil Johnson Ballfields. Jackson and Kamiak had already clinched postseason berths.

“I really appreciated how every girl stepped up and did their job today,” Grizzlies coach Stefanie Celix said. “They did exactly what we asked of them. As far as hitting and fielding, everybody did their part. They played as a team and it came together.”

Glacier Peak (15-3, 5-3) went 16-for-29 at the plate with all 13 of its scores coming from runs batted in.

After a first-inning showing which saw the Grizzlies come up with a home run from Jordan, they closed out the frame with three RBI singles to take an early 6-0 advantage.

Lake Stevens threatened in the top of the second, when junior Haylee Kim stepped up with two outs and delivered a three-run double on a line drive to right field to make it 6-3.

However, the Vikings couldn’t find more offense in the later innings and finished just 4-for-20 at the plate on the day.

“Lake Stevens always responds,” Celix said. “When you play them, you can never let up. You know that at any moment they can come back and they can score, so you always have to be on point.”

A three-run shot from Carpenter in the third put Glacier Peak ahead 9-3, setting the table for Jordan’s two-run bomb, her second homer of the day, that made it 11-3 going into the fourth.

After Carpenter’s second homer in the bottom of the fourth, senior McKellen Hamilton joined in with a walk-off solo homer to end the game on a ten-run rule in the fifth.

“Going into districts, you never know what’ll happen,” Celix said. “We’re gonna play teams we haven’t even seen yet, but these girls are ready. They want this, they showed it, and they’re ready to play ball.”