By PAUL DELANEY
Staff Reporter
Despite an 0-4 start in Great Northern League play, and an 0-6 overall record, Medical Lake softball coach Gai Daily is still able to find some positives out of the early season.
Over the course of four days last week, the Lady Cardinals dropped a pair of games to Deer Park, 10-9 and 18-0 this past Wednesday in a rain-delay make-up and then 3-0 and 9-4 to West Valley on Saturday.
The road does not get any easier, however, for the Lady Cards who head to Colville this Saturday to meet the favorites to repeat as GNL champs in a noon doubleheader.
Against West Valley on a blustery afternoon at Reinking Field, the 3-0 loss in the opener of the doubleheader, three evenly spaced runs meant the difference for the Lady Cards as Gabrielle Daily went the distance pitching, surrendering just four hits and runs in the first, third and sixth innings, while striking out 12.
And then Daily got her team's lone hit – a single in the top of the seventh – to break up the no-hitter of the Lady Eagles' Rachael Meagley.
“My pitchers were great on Saturday,” Daily said. “They were looking real good.”
Indeed, Daily's daughter Gabrielle scattered just four hits, gave up three runs and struck out 12.
In the second game, Medical Lake was in it right to the end, but a 5-run top-of-the-seventh proved to be the difference. The Lady Cards were down just 4-2 before WV's big inning.
Emily Paulson also went the distances for Medical Lake, striking out 10. “Emily did a great job on the mound,” her coach said. Six of the nine Lady Eagle runs were earned.
Melanie Hayes and Chelsea Hardenbrook each had a pair of hits for the Lady Cards with Hayes scoring twice. Cassie Shoben stole home for Medical Lake's second run in the fourth.
On Wednesday in the opener against Deer Park, the Lady Stags pushed across their winning run in the bottom of the eighth, to break a 9-all tie. But Medical Lake could have had a lead for pitcher Shelbie Fritsch to try to protect. Hardenbrook got on board with one of her four hits and then with one out stole second.
Sabrinna Werre then singled and Daily thought Hardenbrook could use her speed to score. It didn't work as she was cut down at the plate – just before Werre was then thrown out at second for a double-play that ended the inning.
“I take total responsibility for what happened,” the coach said. “I thought Chelsea could use her speed to score.”
Some faulty fielding then bit the Lady Cards in the bottom of the eighth. DP's first runner got a walk, advanced on a bunt and took third. “We tried to throw her out at third,” Daily said. “That's where the error happened and that's where they scored. End of ball game,” she said.
Medical Lake was resilient all afternoon and rallied from both 2-0 and 5-2 deficits to tie the game. The Lady Cards used the bottom of the batting order – Fritsch, Paulson and Nikki Boyd – to key a 4-run fifth that gave them the lead at 9-8.
Hardenbrook had four hits in the game, including a pair of triples. Paulson also had a pair of hits. Anita Forrester, Fritsch and Boyd each scored twice. Fritsch had a complete game and stuck out nine.
In the second game, Medical Lake stayed within striking distance until the fourth when the Lady Stags scored six runs to break open a 4-0 game. Another eight in their half of the fifth took the game from bad to downright ugly. The Lady Stags got all of those runs off of just nine hits, while limiting Medical Lake to one single from Hayes.
Paul Delaney can be reached at pdelaney@cheneyfreepress.com
Reader Comments(0)