Ailing Reuble shows her tenacity in Meadowdale’s softball win

MOUNTLAKE TERRACE — Even battling illness, Alyssa Reuble was still the best player on the field in Meadowdale’s 1-0 Wesco 3A South softball victory over Mountlake Terrace on Friday.

Reuble pitched a complete-game two-hitter, striking out six while walking three for the Mavericks (2-0 league, 6-1 overall). She helped herself by delivering the game’s only extra-base hit, a first-inning RBI double that scored Tiffany DeWayne, who had led off the game with a walk.

“Well, I think she (Reuble) did pretty good considering she has almost walking pneumonia,” Mavericks head coach Dennis Hopkins said. “She’s out there suffering with a viral infection in her chest so it’s pretty amazing to go that long with that.”

Reuble cruised through the first five inning giving up one hit and walking two, but the Hawks (0-1, 4-4) finally got to her in the bottom of the sixth. Lead-off batter Hannah Wilcox singled to center field, but it looked like Reuble would avoid trouble when the next batter Hannah Fickle grounded a ball back to her. Reuble tried to get the lead runner at second base and potentially start a double play, but her throw was low and rolled into center field giving the Hawks runners on first and second with nobody out.

She settled down quickly, getting Maddy Kristjanson to ground into a fielder’s choice and Rene Bos to fly out to left-center field. Reuble walked Hannah Baisch to load the bases with two outs, but Kelsey Watson grounded out to third base to end the Hawks’ biggest scoring threat of the night.

Mountlake Terrace coach Shannon Rasmussen was pleased with the way her team battled at the plate throughout the game.

“They had awesome at-bats,” she said of her players. “They were right on it. We had a couple of the girls who fouled off six or seven pitches and kept battling till they got their pitch. (Reuble is) definitely one of the better pitchers we have seen this year, so I was pretty happy with how we hit her even not getting the big hits. We still found ways to get on.”

Hannah Wilcox got both of the Hawks’ hits in the game and finished 2-for-3.

Hopkins said after the game that Reuble began to tire in the late innings because of her illness and that he considered taking her out.

“We talked it over,” Hopkins said. “Being a senior and this being a crosstown rival that they want to beat — she wants to go out beating them. She wasn’t going to come off that mound until we had to carry her off.”

It was a rare occurrence to see the Mavericks’ offense struggle the way it did against Terrace, but they got just enough. Meadowdale was led by Reuble, who batted 2-for-3 and was the only Maverick to have multiple hits.

“Today was not a typical thing,” Hopkins said of Meadowdale’s lack of hitting. “I don’t know if it’s just the fact that it’s Mountlake Terrace and they are our crosstown rival or if it’s just finally a sunny day and we get to play. We aren’t used to seeing the sunshine when we play.”

As dominant as Reuble was from the pitcher’s circle, Mountlake Terrace starter Rene Bos was every bit as impressive. Bos pitched a complete-game five-hitter, striking out six and walking only one.

“The last two games she has just been on fire,” Rasmussen said. “She has been getting her pitches right where she wants them and just working the count and been able to go right after the batters.”

Though the Hawks lost, Rasmussen said that there is a lot of momentum to be gained from the way they played against one of the top Wesco 3A teams.

“I think it was a definite confidence booster,” Rasmussen said. “This is definitely the best I’ve seen our team play. Our defense was great and Rene did an awesome job pitching, so it’s a big confidence booster going into the rest of our league games.”

At Mountlake Terrace H.S.

Meadowdale 100 000 0—1 5 1

Mountlake Terrace 000 000 0—0 2 2

Alyssa Reuble and Rebecca Wright. Rene Bos and Hannah Fickle. WP—Reuble (5-1). LP—Bos (2-2). 2B—Reuble (M). Records—Meadowdale 2-0 league, 6-1 overall. Mountlake Terrace 0-1, 4-4.