Snohomish softball tops Everett with late rally

Published 12:30 am Friday, April 17, 2026

EVERETT — Amelie Lopez kept her mind blank as she walked to the plate at Lincoln Field on Thursday. Through four innings, Snohomish softball could not get their bats going against Everett, which led 1-0 in the top of the fifth with two outs. After watching junior Amelia Lane send a single to left field right before her, Lopez eliminated any sense of pressure from her mind. She felt a breakthrough was coming, whether it would be off her bat or a teammate’s.

Lopez watched strike one cross the plate before taking a ball to even up the count. The sophomore waited patiently for the pitch she wanted, and made no mistake when it arrived. Blasting the third pitch over the center field wall, Lopez delivered a go-ahead, two-run shot to lift Snohomish into a 2-1 lead. The only things louder than the ball off her bat were her teammates’ cheers as they flooded around home plate to greet her.

“I knew that my teammates had my back,” Lopez said. “So even if I got out on that at-bat, I knew that the next inning we’d come back, and we’d definitely get our bats on the balls, and adjust to the pitcher.”

The Panthers (9-1, 2-0 league) adjusted, adding four more runs in the sixth inning to cushion their 5-2 win against the Seagulls (5-6, 1-2 league).

In a pitcher’s duel between Snohomish’s Abby Edwards and Everett’s Anna Luscher, neither side recorded a base hit until the fourth inning. It came down to which team could solve the other ace first.

Between spring break and a postponement early this week, the Panthers played for the first time in two weeks on Thursday. It took time for the batters to get back up to speed, but they managed to capitalize in time after facing an early deficit.

“I think (Luscher) definitely throws a bit harder than what we’ve been seeing. … We did talk about how we were all late on her,” Edwards said. “So just making that adjustment on getting our foot down earlier, and seeing the ball out of her hand to make sure we get our barrel it.”

Edwards took a no-hitter into the fifth inning, but ultimately allowed two hits, three walks and one earned run while striking out 14 across all seven innings. Lopez drove in three runs, and sophomore Taylor Ward went 3-for-4 with one run scored.

Luscher was similarly productive with 11 punch-outs in the circle across seven innings, and she allowed just three hits through the first five before a Snohomish rally in the sixth boosted her totals up to seven hits and five runs allowed. The junior went 1-for-3 at the plate, and scored the first run of the game.

The Seagulls have lost four of their past five games, but coach Mike Millar is confident that their strong non-league schedule has prepared them for a tough Wesco North slate.

“I figured it would be a low-scoring game (based on the pitching matchup),” Millar said. “But I think the difference in the game is making some routine plays. We didn’t, and they did. And then also, the timely hitting with runners in scoring position. We had runners on in the first and second inning there, and a chance to put some runs on the board, and just could not get that timely hit. When you’re facing a pitcher like (Edwards), when she gives you chances, you got to cash in.”

Indeed, Everett did have the upper hand in the early innings. After notching two strikeouts in the top of the first, Luscher led off the bottom of the frame with a walk and stolen base. Junior Mia Hoekendorf struck out next, but reached first on a dropped third strike and throwing error as Luscher advanced to third.

Senior Braylon Yarwood put the ball in play two batters later, reaching on a fielder’s choice as Luscher scored from third to give the Seagulls a 1-0 lead. Sophomore Addison Rehm led off the second with a walk as well, and despite sophomore Kaitlyn Kelley bunting courtesy runner Akilah Shaw over to second, Everett could not bring her home.

Aside from the occasional walk or error, Edwards and Luscher each continued to mow down the opposing lineup through the early innings. Ward ripped a single to center field with two outs in the fourth to register the first hit for either side, but Luscher struck out the next batter to limit the damage.

While Lopez’s two-run homer in the fifth put the Panthers ahead, Snohomish did not truly open the floodgates until the sixth inning. With runners on second and third, sophomore Kamryn Best singled on a bunt up the middle to bring in one run, and Ward scored from third on a passed ball in the next at-bat to push it to 4-1. Sophomore Isabelle Meyers walked and Lane was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and Lopez worked a four-pitch walk to extend the lead to 5-1.

After taking the lead with a long ball, the Panthers added insurance playing small ball, which coach Patti Lande was particularly happy about.

“(Everett is) always tough competition, and we usually always go down to the wire with them,” Lande said. “They’re great at small ball. (Millar) has always got his players doing all the things, and we haven’t had to do a whole lot of small ball up to this point, but I was thrilled with our execution.”

The Seagulls answered back in the bottom of the sixth, with junior Haylie Oyler working a walk on a full count before stealing second and advancing to third on a dropped third strike that necessitated a put out at first base. Senior Emma Hoffman brought her home with an infield single to cut it to 5-2, but Edwards notched her 14th strikeout to end the inning before retiring the side in the seventh to secure the win.

“I definitely think my changeup is one of my most competitive pitches, especially against their top four hitters, which are pretty good,” Edwards said. “I think that with that pitch, it’s really easy for me to trust my catcher (junior Rozlynn Girard) because she’s great at blocking, so it gives me the trust to be able to throw that as well as I can. And then also just getting ahead with my curve and rise ball was really important for me tonight.”

Coming off a run to the 3A State semifinals last season with a team comprised of 11 underclassmen, Snohomish has started the season strong with multiple players across the roster experiencing a “sophomore leap,” while Edwards and Shelby Gilbert are the only two seniors leading the charge. However, with just two league games under their belt so far, the Panthers understand they will need to reach another level in order to set themselves up for another deep postseason run.

“We’re just trying to build momentum,” Lande said. “And one thing I talked to the kids about is every game, our goal is to be heading up and up and up, and continue to get better and better each time. It doesn’t mean perfect. It means continue to get better, and that’s kind of what we’ve been doing and that’s what we want to continue to do.”