By Aaron Swaney
Herald Writer
SEDRO-WOOLLEY – Sometimes a bad short-term memory can be a good thing.
The Lynnwood softball team shrugged off its loss to Sehome on Wednesday and defeated Bellingham 6-1 Thursday afternoon in a loser-out Class 3A Northwest District fastpitch softball playoff game.
“After the loss yesterday (Wednesday) they kept their heads high and encouraged each other,” Lynnwood assistant coach Kim Verver said.
Lynnwood had only one more hit against Bellingham than it did against Sehome, but four of them came in a three-run third inning.
“Our fight has always been to get the bats to work successively.” Verver said. “It’s good to kind of see that come together.”
With the score tied at 1-1, Brittany Roden led off the third inning with a double. Brooke Young then sacrificed Roden over to third with a ground-out putting the go-ahead run on third with Lynnwood’s strongest hitter, Ali Masterson, coming up.
Masterson, who never really found her swing against Sehome, blasted a triple over the right fielder’s head to score Roden, giving Lynnwood its first lead of the tournament.
The Royals played the rest of the inning like they wanted to keep that lead.
Brittni Thoreson singled home Masterson for the Royals’ second run of the inning and then stole second. After Stephanie Rhodes singled to send Thoreson to third, Rhodes created a diversion by standing between first and second base, allowing Thoreson to sprint home when the Red Raiders threw the ball to second.
With a three-run lead, Lynnwood called on pitcher Roden to come in and shut the door. A day removed from pitching four strong innings against Sehome, Roden relieved starting pitcher Masterson and pitched the last four innings, scattering four Bellingham hits and giving up no runs.
“(Roden) did a really good job of getting the ball in play and letting the defense make some plays behind her,” Verver said.
Masterson, who was also strong on the mound, wriggled out of a bases-loaded jam in the first inning and then cruised in the second and third innings, giving up one run on four hits.
Lynnwood scored two more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning when Kari Lloyd doubled home Karen Hansen and then reached home herself when Bellingham committed a throwing error.
With the victory, Lynnwood advanced into a loser-out, third-round game against Ferndale to be played at 11 a.m. Saturday at Janicki Fields. A victory in that game would put Lynnwood into a winner-to-state game later the same day.
Ellis and Aucutt. Masterson, Roden (4) and Rhodes. WP-Roden. LP-Ellis. 2B-Roden (L), Lloyd (L). 3B-Masterson (L). Records-Lynnwood 4-17 overall.
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