Anacortes softball smashed two home runs and the Seahawks defeated Meridian, 12-7, in a Northwest Conference matchup at Meridian High on Tuesday, March 25.
“This was a good battle,” Anacortes coach Jodi Shafer said. “We lost two years in a row to Meridian because they are very strong. To come out here and have a solid outing from all 13 of my players was awesome. They should be proud of themselves.”
The Seahawks opened the first inning with a 4-0 lead against Meridian’s pitcher Addy TenKley, who finished with three strikeouts while surrendering 12 runs.
Gallery: Anacortes softball holds off Meridian for victory
“It was great seeing the girls do everything they have been working on,” Shafer said. “They saw the ball, drove through the ball and crushed it. Having the confidence and going out there to hit the ball was great.”
Anacortes’ Hayden Davies opened the game with a leadoff single. Davies and Amelia Myers scored from Anna Friedrichs’ two-run single. She scored on a passed ball behind the plate while Gwen Andrews hit an RBI single to score Jenna Baker.
Meridian responded with a couple of runs in the bottom of the second inning when Chloe Heinrich hit a two-run single. Both teams piled up more runs in the third inning, but Anacortes continued to keep Meridian behind them.
“It was basically get the ball in play, help our pitcher out and get some outs,” Shafer said.
Tessa Gilden reached first base on an overthrown ball, scoring Baker and Friedrichs. Meridian responded when TenKley scored on an overthrown ball after hitting a double. Josie Somers hit a two-run triple, scoring Lorelai Margeson and Lexi Neil, to make it 6-5 Seahawks.
Anacortes added a couple of more runs when Davies hit a double and Baker crushed a two-run bomb. Meridian answered back when Natalie Schultz and Neil both hit RBI singles to make it 8-7.
In the top of the sixth inning, Myers and Friedrichs hit a pair of singles, and both scored later in the inning on a passed ball. In the top of the seventh, Davies hit a two-run homer to secure the victory.
“Those two home runs were icing on the cake,” Shafer said.
Anacortes (3-2, 1-1 NWC) next hosts Mount Baker (1-2, 0-2 NWC) at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 27. Meridian (1-2, 0-1 NWC) travels to Sehome (1-3, 0-1) at 4:30 p.m. on March 27.
Nick Zeller-Singh is CDN's sports reporter; reach him at nickzellersingh@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 104.
