LAKE STEVENS — A three run walk-off home run by Amie Browder capped off a four-run seventh inning and gave the Lake Stevens softball team a come-from-behind 8-7 victory, handing Snohomish its first loss of the season.
After an RBI single by Tehya Harney, Browder connected for her third homer of the season, leading to a raucous celebration by the Lake Stevens bench.
“It was crazy,” Lake Stevens head coach Sarah Hirsch said of the celebration after Browder’s homer. “The whole dugout was up on their feet and when it went over we were yelling and screaming. It was awesome.”
The Vikings held a 4-3 lead heading into the top of the seventh before the Panthers put together a four-run inning of their own. After a single and a walk to lead off the inning, Katlyn Purvis gave Snohomish the lead with a three-run home run off reliever Megan Barry. Two batters later, Bailey Seek gave the Panthers some insurance with a solo homer.
“The whole environment was competitive,” Hirsch said. “They were on a mission to come from behind and so were we.”
After the Panthers opened the game with a run in the top of the first inning, Cassidy Fifield led off the bottom of the first inning with a solo home run, proving to be a big momentum boost for the Vikings.
“We were nervous,” Hirsch said. “But when Cassidy (Fifield) stepped up and ledoff with a home run, the eyes of our kids lit up.”
The Vikings tacked on two more runs in the third and another in the fourth, before Snohomish’s Hannah Paschal cut the Vikings lead to one in the top of the sixth inning with a solo blast of her own.
Despite the loss, the Panthers still hold the top spot in the Wesco 4A North division. Friday’s win, the third in a row for the Vikings, gives them a 1½ game lead on Arlington for second place in the 4A North division.
“It was huge for us, especially heading into district play,” Hirsch said of the Vikings victory. “We got three tough games in a row. The kids are ready, they are confident and this is huge heading into the tournament.
At Lake Stevens H.S.
Snohomish1000114—780
Lake Stevens1021004—8102
Alyssa Simons, Bailey Seek (4) and Morgan Greenlee. Rayne Sylvester, Megan Barry (7) and Tehya Harney. WP—Barry (9-1). LP—Seek (8-1). 2B—Kahlia Kelliher (LS). 3B—name (school) number, etc. HR—Cassidy Fifield (LS), Amie Browder, Seek (S), Hannah Paschal (S), Katlyn Purvis (S). Records—Snohomish 12-1 league, 18-1 overall. Lake Stevens 9-3, 15-3.
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