Big play by Cascade’s Peterson secures win

EVERETT — Cascade center fielder Aubrey Peterson’s knee looked just fine on the last play of Cascade’s 6-5 4A Wesco crossover softball victory over Arlington on Friday.

It was the junior’s first full game back from injury and she made the play of the night to save a win for the Bruins.

Ahead by a run with one out and three runs already having scored in the top of the seventh inning, Arlington starting pitcher Ronnie Ladines was on second base with left fielder Katelynn Kazen at the plate. Kazen blooped Cascade starting pitcher Makinlee Sellevold’s offering into shallow center field. Ladines appeared to think the ball was going to land for a hit and was already rounding third base when Peterson dove and made a spectacular catch. She quickly jumped to her feet and threw to second base to double up Ladines and end the game.

Had Peterson dropped the ball, Ladines would have certainly scored to tie the game and Kazen would have likely been safe at second base with only one out.

“I was really scared, but I went for it because I knew it was like do or die, you had to do it,” Peterson said. “It felt really, really good.”

Cascade didn’t seem to have an answer for Arlington in the seventh inning. A couple of walks mixed in with a couple of singles had the Eagles looking as if they would pull off the comeback win. The only out the Bruins had recorded in the inning before the double play came on a difficult diving stop by shortstop Taryn Salter, who threw to second to get Katelyn McDonald on a fielder’s choice.

Peterson’s defensive gem came at the perfect time and clinched a district berth for the first-place Bruins with nearly two weeks left to play.

“What do say about it? It was beautiful,” Cascade coach Kelly Ross said. “It was everything that we have been working on and what we try to get our outfield to do is charge everything and leave it all on the field and that’s what we talked about right before they went out there and sure enough she came through when it really mattered.”

Peterson wasn’t the only hero of the night for the Bruins. Leading 3-2 in the bottom of the fifth inning, Cascade was looking to extend its lead and with two outs and the bases loaded, pitcher Makinlee Sellevold doubled to right field to clear the bases. Sellevold was thrown out trying to stretch a double into a triple, but the damage had already been done.

“(Sellevold) has come up clutch for us many times this season,” Ross said. “Her stats will reflect that. She is just extremely strong mentally and physically.”

The Eagles outhit the Bruins and had significantly more stolen bases. Arlington coach Dan Eng said errors were the difference.

“Statistically this was a nightmare,” Eng said. “Statistically you look at the book and you go, ‘How could you lose this game.’ Usually the pitching holds and the defense holds. In the past six games we have not given up a run.”

All six of Cascade’s runs were unearned.

Earned or unearned, six runs were enough and the Bruins will take it.

“It’s a momentum builder,” Ross said. “You always know coming into a game like this that it is going to be a great game and that it could technically go either way. You are facing a great pitcher and you are facing some great players and knowing that I have just the same on our team, you always know you are going to have a fun day.”

Aaron Lommers covers prep sports for The Herald. Follow him on twitter @aaronlommers and contact him at alommers@heraldnet.com.

At Cascade H.S.

Arlington0101013—584

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Ronnie Ladines and Lynsey Amundson. Makinlee Sellevold and Alex Deaver. WP—Sellevold. LP—Ladines. 2B—Amundson (A), Sellevold (C). Records—Arlington 7-3 league, 12-3 overall; Cascade 8-2, 13-2.