EVERETT — If it hadn’t already been raining, Anna Whitehouse’s mile-high shot in the fourth inning of Archbishop Murphy’s softball game Monday might have been enough to make it start dumping.
Instead, Whitehouse’s two-run home run simply propelled the Wildcats to a big 11-1 win over Granite
Falls in a matchup of the two preseason Cascade Conference favorites. The game ended after five innings due to the mercy rule.
“It felt good,” said Whitehouse, Murphy’s sophomore first baseman and cleanup hitter, who said it was her first home run that cleared a fence. “I was a little worried that it might be too high but I knew that I hit it well.”
Whitehouse’s home run was the biggest hit in a game in which the Wildcats — who were picked second behind Granite Falls in the preseason coaches poll — strung together eight hits and took advantage of five Tigers errors. Murphy also got solid pitching from senior ace Amber Manuel, who scattered six hits and was helped by a nice defensive showing behind her.
It was all fun to see for Archbishop Murphy coach Stephanie Arland, who like most prep softball and baseball coaches in the area, has mostly seen her team in the dry confines of the gym as the ridiculously wet weather has wreaked havoc on practice and game schedules.
“We’ve only had two practices outside,” Arland said. “Being in the gym, you don’t really see what you have. You can’t do a lot of situational work, a lot of live hitting. You’re just limited. So it’s nice to actually get out here and see what we can do.”
Murphy wasted little time staking Manuel to a comfortable lead.
Gemma Miller, an impressive freshman shortstop, hit a one-out double to right and Marea Homes followed with a single. Whitehouse then drove in both with a single to right and the Wildcats made it 4-0 after scoring on a couple Granite Falls errors. Senior Nicole Melseth drove in Madeline Johnson and Chelsea Newgard with a single to right for a 6-0 lead.
That was way more than enough for Manuel, the 2010 co-defensive MVP of the Cascade Conference who will play at Whitworth. While Granite Falls managed to reach second base in every inning but one, the Tigers got just a single run on an RBI double in the third by Caitlyn Munce, driving in Logan Thomas.
Manuel said she was reasonably happy with her performance considering she took about six months off from pitching to focus on third base, the position she’ll play in college.
“I was just getting back in the groove,” she said. “I had some mechanical things and some landing things to work on. But it was great to get a lead and I just had to focus on putting the ball over the plate.”
Manuel was also solid with the bat, following up Whitehouse’s home run with a double and she came around to score on an error. Manuel then ended the game in the fifth with a two-run single, driving in Homes and Whitehouse.
Arland said she wasn’t thrilled having to play a major division rival so early in the season, but she said having a big game early in the schedule helped keep the team focused through the rainy weather.
“Granite Falls is a really good team and our team knew this was a good chance for us to get off to a good start and that kept us focused,” Arland said. “Beating a good team like that early on should boost our confidence and hopefully as the weather gets better, we’ll get better, too.”
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