By Aaron Swaney
Herald Writer
SEDRO-WOOLLEY – When a softball team picks up only three victories in a season it rarely finds itself in the playoffs.
But that’s exactly where the three-win Lynnwood softball team stood Wednesday afternoon, playing Sehome in the first round of the Class 3A Northwest District I fastpitch tournament.
And although the Royals lost 4-2, they proved that they belonged.
Lynnwood hung tough with the Mariners through four innings until Sehome scored one run each in the fifth and sixth innings to secure the victory.
“I’m proud of their fighting,” said Lynnwood coach Jayme Horn of her girls. “They’ve come a long way this season.”
Lynnwood displayed its growth after falling behind early. Sehome took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning, but Lynnwood returned to score a run in both the third and fourth innings to get even.
In the third, Brittany Roden led off with a walk. After advancing to second on a wild pitch, she was sacrificed to third and was then knocked home by Ali Masterson’s ground out.
Besides scoring the Royals’ first run, Roden also pitched five innings for Lynnwood, giving up three runs on eight hits.
“(Roden) does everything for us,” Horn said. “She’s one heck of a ballplayer.”
Lynnwood scored again in the fourth inning when senior catcher Stephanie Rhodes singled to lead off the inning and then wound up on third base because of a Sehome error. Rhodes, like Roden, scored on a groundout to tie the score at 2.
The Royals had a chance to do more damage in the fifth when they loaded the bases with only one out. But, after the Mariners got the second out on a force at home, Sehome’s center fielder made a sliding catch to end Lynnwood’s last real chance.
“We battled back,” Horn said. “But, we just couldn’t get the key hits.”
In the fourth inning, Sehome strung together a couple of doubles to score a run, while Cassie Hogl doubled home Lindsay Thayer to score an insurance run in the sixth off Lynnwood reliever Masterson.
“We made some great plays to stay in it, but they got too many key hits,” Horn said.
With the loss, Lynnwood dropped into the loser’s bracket. They’ll face the (Bellingham/Ferndale winner)/Sedro-Woolley loser at 4 p.m. today at Janicki Fields in Sedro-Woolley.
MacDonald and Erickson. Roden, Masterson (6) and Rhodes. WP-MacDonald. LP-Roden. 2B- Hammons (S), McEvoy (S), Hogl (S). Records-Sehome 12-9 overall. Lynnwood 3-17.
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