SNOHOMISH — Expectations are always sky high for the Jackson softball team, and every spring the Timberwolves live up to their lofty division-dominating standards.
After starting slow against a young but talented opponent, the Jackson High School softball team heated up in a flash and beat the Glacier Peak Grizzlies 6-2 May 7 in a Western Conference South Division game. Sparked by winning pitcher Dani Jackman, who tossed a complete game and hit a momentum-changing home run, Jackson clinched its sixth consecutive league championship.
Unbeaten Jackson (16-0 South, 18-0 overall) rallied from a 1-0 deficit, scoring five runs over the fourth and fifth innings, and held off persistent Glacier Peak (13-3, 13-5), which came into the game as the only team with a chance to catch Jackson in the South. But with two division contests remaining, Jackson has an insurmountable three-game lead.
Senior Kimmi Kumangai, Jackson’s center fielder, had a double, a run-scoring single, scored a run and stole a base for the Timberwolves, who were thrilled to continue their reign over the division. They are 80-4 in league games over the past five seasons.
“It’s like we have to live up to the expectations, and I think we do that really well,” Kumangai said. “Every single year we don’t want to ever lose a game and just keep going hard every single time to win.”
“They want to live up to that and keep up that streak,” Jackson coach Mike Moran said.
Kumangai doubled and scored in the fourth inning, when Jackson turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead. It started when Jackman, a senior, led off by smashing a fastball from Glacier Peak pitcher Kaylee Lawson over the fence in right-center field. Jackman’s sixth homer of the spring gave Jackson its first run and a big mental boost.
“It just gave us more confidence that this pitcher (Lawson, a sophomore) is challenging us at the plate but we can step up to that challenge,” said Jackman.
Kumangai followed Jackman’s blast with a double off the left-field wall and later scored on senior Julia Covello’s two-out single down the third-base line. Jackson took the lead and never lost it.
Speedy junior Chandra Tewari had three hits and sophomore Dewey Davis smacked a two-run double in the fifth for Jackson, which had already clinched the South’s top seed for the upcoming 4A District 1 tournament. On the mound, Jackman (9-0) gave up eight hits and two walks and tallied five strikeouts. Her team overcame four errors in an uncharacteristically poor day in the field, coach Moran said.
In just its second season and its first with seniors, 3A Glacier Peak put major pressure on Jackson. Mixing in a devastating changeup, Lawson (12-3) racked up four strikeouts through two innings and held Jackson scoreless through three. After falling behind, the Grizzlies loaded the bases in the fifth and sixth innings but didn’t come up with a timely hit.
Even so, Glacier Peak coach Brad Johnson was pleased with his team’s effort and energy.
“We are still extremely young,” said Johnson, whose team has just two seniors and three juniors. “I’ve just been very impressed.”
Miranda Granger, one of those seniors, hit a double and scored twice and sophomore Kyleigh Hanson had two hits and drove in a run for Glacier Peak, which is guaranteed a spot in the 3A District 1 tournament. With two games remaining, the Grizzlies have a two-game lead over Lynnwood (11-5 South) for the Wesco’s No. 1 seed.
Mike Cane writes for the Herald in Everett.
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