EVERETT — The Glacier Peak softball team banged their hands against the dugout to rally their final few hitters in the bottom of the seventh during a 4A District 1/2 quarterfinals matchup with Issaquah at Phil Johnson Ballfields on Tuesday.
After trailing by as many as six runs, the Grizzlies (14-6) cut the lead to one by putting seven runners on base and five runs on the board in the final frame.
Issaquah pitcher Shaelyn Erickson came in for London White with one out and a runner at second. White had pitched the whole game before allowing two hits and a walk in the seventh to prompt the change.
Senior third baseman Lauren Hufford (0-for-3, RBI, run) saw the swap as an advantage for the Grizzlies.
“We had a mindset that we were going to go in facing (Erickson), so when we saw her come back into the game, it was kind of exciting for us,” Hufford said.
That excitement showed, as the Grizzlies scored three more runs to cut the lead to one after Erickson checked in.
The anticipation of a six-run comeback was clear as the Glacier Peak faithful roared back to life from the stands as Morgan Udy (1-for-4, RBI, run) sprinted the basepath to score from second on an error, cutting the lead to one.
8-7 pic.twitter.com/CXa4OLlMYM
— Qasim Ali (@qasimasports) May 13, 2025
But the hopes of an unlikely victory were spoiled just as fast as they appeared.
With the tying run at second, Erickson struck out Audrey Fortune (1-for-3, SB, run) for the game’s final out. Fortune had been walked by White to lead off the inning.
The loss sends Glacier Peak to the consolation bracket, where they’ll take on Juanita on Wednesday. That matchup will be one of two games the Grizzlies will need to win to advance to the state playoffs later this month.
It’s not an unfamiliar feat for Glacier Peak, which won three consecutive loser-out matchups to reach state in last year’s district playoffs.
This quarterfinals matchup will give the Wesco 4A champs plenty of bulletin board material going forward, though — the Grizzlies had trouble stopping the Eagles from finding leadoff hits early.
Issaquah had hits on the first at-bats of the initial three innings, including a second-inning solo homer to start the scoring. The Eagles couldn’t find much after those leadoffs through two innings, but capitalized on a leadoff hit in the third by getting a two-run homer from Riley Baumann later in the period.
The Grizzlies, however, didn’t register a hit until the third when Samantha Nielsen (2-for-3, run) singled on a softly hit ball to the infield. A sacrifice bunt from Bri Titus (1-for-4) got Nielsen to second, but she advanced no further as the Grizzlies struck out and then grounded out to end the inning.
The Grizzlies scored their first run in the fourth as Aubree Orr (1-for-3, 2B, RBI, 2 runs) scored on another groundout. The Eagles wasted no time responding, pouring on four runs in the fifth by putting six consecutive hitters on base. Grizzlies pitcher Emma Hirshorn (7 IP, 13 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 2 BB, 10 K) slowed the game down and retired three straight hitters on two strikeouts to stop the bleeding.
Titus caught for Hirshorn all afternoon and had a meeting with her in the middle of the tough frame.
“We just called time and calmed down. We know we’re a hitting team, so we know we’re gonna get hits eventually. So we calm (Hirshorn) down and just know that we’re gonna get our bats, even if it’s in the last inning,” Titus said.
Hirshorn and the defense found their rhythm after a nightmarish fifth, only facing nine hitters and allowing one run for the remainder of the game.
Those bats came alive as well, as Fortune’s leadoff single in the seventh proved to be one of four hits in a single frame on a day where the Grizzlies managed 10 total.
Orr and Samantha Christensen (2-for-4, 2B, RBI, run) each doubled in the late comeback attempt as the Grizzles came up two bases short.
Titus is optimistic about her team’s chances.
“Our energy in the last inning is what we need to bring from the start,” Titus said. “We just need to bring that energy from the get-go and get our hits up so we can get runs in early innings.”
Glacier Peak head coach Stefanie Celix could not be reached for comment postgame.
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