The Bainbridge fastpitch team continues to run over anyone who stands in its way.
On Monday, it was Holy Names’ turn to take one on the chin, as the Spartans sent 14 batters to the plate in the first inning to score 10 runs in its 14-2 victory over the Cougars.
The win is Bainbridge’s 18th in a row and earns them at least a share of the Metro League Mountain Division.
The Spartans benefited from starter Julia Hopkins’ wildness in the first, as she walked four batters and hit two others.
Lindsay Willmann drove in two runs with a double while Haylee Baker and Cara Thompson drove in runs with consecutive singles their second time around in the inning.
In the third inning, Chelsie Kakela drove in two runs with a base hit while Kaitlin Gaspitch put another on the board with a base hit.
Meanwhile, Baker was sailing through the game, striking out six batters overall and getting some nice defensive plays from third baseman Lauren Reichert.
She also caught a break when a misplayed pop fly still resulted in an out as Kakela threw to Thompson to get the runner at second.
“My drop ball wasn’t working the way I wanted it to,” she said. “But it went alright.”
In the fifth, Holy Names got on the board as a leadoff walk came around to score on a throwing error by Brittany Wisner and Candy Button drove in another run with a single.
The two runs are the first given up since the Spartans’ 10-6 win over Bishop Blanchet April 9.
The Spartans also defeated Eastside Catholic 11-0 on Friday and Seattle Lutheran, a 1A school from the Sea-Tac League, 10-0 on Saturday.
Despite the win against the Cougars on Monday – the first in four years–Baker said she’s more concerned about Wednesday’s game when they’ll face their ace Farleigh Winters, who sat out of Monday’s game with a back injury.
“It was kind of disappointing,” she said of the blowout. “I was hoping for a more competitive game.”
Head coach Liz McCloskey said they’ll stay focused on keeping their eyes on the prize as the playoffs approach.
“It feels good to beat them and it feels good to have that momentum,” she said. “It may not have been an exciting game like we would like, but whoever thought that we would beat Holy Names 14-2?”
Bainbridge played Ingraham yesterday in their last home game of the season, then take on Holy Names Wednesday in Seattle in the last regular season game.
Hardballers drop one at home
It’s been an incredibly frustrating season for the Bainbridge baseball team.
Injuries and a much improved Metro League have been the team’s downfall and it came to a head Monday during the team’s 5-2 loss to O’Dea, eliminating them from the playoff hunt.
Several players let their emotion out in a negative way, and head coach Jayson Gore talked to the team for several minutes afterwards about how they can’t let their emotions get the best of them.
“It was expected,” he said of the frustration that boiled over for several players. “But we try to maintain a classy program here.
“It’s upsetting that we’re not in the playoffs, but it’s also upsetting that I have eight seniors who are going to play their last home game” without the chance to play on.
“It’s sad is what it is.”
Bainbridge got on the board first with a RBI single by Mario McLaughlin in the second inning, but O’Dea scored two in the third.
O’Dea scored two in the fourth on a homerun by Andre Popich, and a double, but a throwing error in the fourth allowed two runs to score after O’Dea had bunted both runners on.
“That one error killed us,” Gore said. “I thought we played well (but) their kid that pitched (Elliot Van Gaver) has been out six weeks (with an injury) and he’s been dialed up since he came back.”
Van Gaver struck out 11 in the game.
Colby Morse went 2 for 3, but took the loss on the mound.
Taurean Yamada went 2 for 4.
Bainbridge played Ingraham yesterday, then traveled to Seattle to play O’Dea in the last game of the regular season.
Lacrossers taken down by Lions
The Bainbridge girls’ lacrosse team couldn’t keep their winning streak intact, losing 14-9 to Lakeside Monday in Seattle.
Lucy Williams and Brett Eisenhardt had hat tricks for Lakeside.
Sally Baumgartner put all threes in the stat book with three goals, three assists, three ground balls, three caused turnovers and three draw controls.
Natalie Evans scored a hat trick as did Lucy Schlesser.
Rowers earn medals in Canada
The Bainbridge Island Junior Crew competed in 14 events at the 38th Annual Brentwood Regatta on Vancouver Island Canada last weekend.
The Bainbridge Third Varsity Girl’s Four with Coxswain (Lynn Anderson – cox, Sarah Minson – stroke, Austen Hawk, Fran Frieda, and Liz McGonagle) won a bronze medal by sticking to their race plan and rowing a very determined and controlled race.
The Varsity Girl’s Four with Coxswain (Lynn Anderson – cox, Jackie Sullivan – stroke, Keziah Beall, Haley Allen and Jilli O’Mara) were fifth in a very close race that saw six boats finish within less than three seconds of each other.
Junior Crew Coach Morgan Seeley thought that several other boats rowed very strongly in their heats, though they failed to progress to the final.
The JV Girls Four with Coxswain (Lynn again, Claire Thomas, Canela Beck, Chelsea Loken, and Kaleena Fraga) was less than two seconds from qualifying, and the Varsity Girls Double (Jessica Molskness and Amanda Goss) was rowed to a very strong fourth place in their heat.
Seeley also noted that the JV Boys Double (Greyson Siegel and Matt Smith) have improved every time they’ve raced.
The Northwest Regional Championship are May 16-18 in Vancouver, Washington.
