In fastpitch softball, pitching is at the heart of the matter.
If you have an ace and she’s on, you often win.
If she’s not on the mound, an opportunistic team can take advantage.
That’s what happened when Edmonds-Woodway collected 15 hits and shut out Shorewood 11-0 in six innings April 10 at Shorewood High School.
Warriors’ third baseman Sydney Mahan went 4-for-5 with two doubles and five RBI to lead the hit parade.
Shorewood freshman Ali Hascall filled in for freshman ace Olivia Jacobs who was in Washington, D.C. with her grandparents for spring break, Shorewood coach Tom Rizzuto said.
“She was feeling the pressure ever since she realized Olivia wasn’t going to be here,” Rizzuto said of Hascall. “It was a tough call for her.”
Hascall had only thrown three innings this season prior to the game against the Warriors, a team the Thunderbirds are battling for a 4A District 1 playoff spot.
Hascall gave up eight earned runs and seven walks in six innings.
Meanwhile, the Shorewood bats struggled against Edmonds-Woodway’s Desi Moore, who threw a three-hitter.
“It’s hard to get anything together when you’re behind from the get-go,” Rizzuto said.
Moore struck out four and walked two to earn the victory. The Warriors did not commit an error.
“I have an amazing defense behind me that helped out,” Moore said. “They’re a good hitting team. We’re a good defensive team.”
Edmonds-Woodway scored four runs in the top of the second on an RBI single by Renee Maddex, RBI walks by Shannon Gnagey and Moore and an RBI single by Mahan.
“Our bats have definitely been heating up,” Moore said. “The middle is the strongest. That’s where we get our big hits.”
Mahan, who bats fifth, had two-run doubles in the fifth and sixth innings that helped put the game out of reach. Shortstop Erika Hayes, the cleanup hitter, went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and a RBI double.
“(Mahan’s) our power hitter and so is Erika Hayes, she’s great,” Moore said.
Despite scoring 11 runs, the Warriors also stranded 13 runners on base.
Edmonds-Woodway improved to 4-3 in the Western Conference South Division and 5-6 overall while Shorewood fell to 3-3 in the division and 4-5 overall.
Shorewood picked up a huge win in its previous game against Kamiak. The Thunderbirds were down to their final out and final strike, before scoring four runs to take the Wesco South victory on April 5.
Jacobs, the pitcher, secured the 5-4 come-from-behind victory by retiring the Knights in order in the bottom of the seventh with two strikeouts and a groundout at Kamiak High school.
The Knights recorded two quick outs in the top of the seventh before the Shorewood bats came a calling.
The Thunderbirds’ rally started with Robyn Morton hitting a double. A Knights’ error put another Shorewood runner on first. Maddy Golden followed with a triple, pulling the Thunderbirds within one.
The Knights intentionally walked Jacobs, who was 2-for-3, to get to McCarthy, who had struck out twice and not recorded a hit in the game.
McCarthy connected on a Courtney Johnson pitch for a double, scoring Golden from third and Jacobs from first to give Shorewood a 5-4 lead.
Marissa Lyons had a two-out two-run double in the bottom of the fifth to give Kamiak a 4-1 lead heading into the final two innings.
Notes…Shorewood junior first baseman Kayla McCarthy is a natural right-hander but she’s throwing with her left hand this season. McCarthy suffers from an arm ailment similar to a shin splint in her lower right arm. Her doctor told her she would have to sit out the season unless she found a way not to throw with her right hand and arm.
So far, McCarthy’s learned to throw left-handed fairly effectively and salvage her season.
“It’s just phenomenal what she can do,” Rizzuto said.
McCarthy, the team’s leading hitter last season, still bats from the right side of the plate.
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