Rachael Johnson leads U-Hi past Shadle, into first

Rival teams expect Rachael Johnson to slap the ball around, steal bases and put pressure on the defense.

University’s senior center fielder did all that Thursday afternoon at Shadle Park but added another dimension to her game.

Johnson finished with four runs batted in, including a two-run, opposite-field double over the head of Shadle’s left fielder, as the Titans (5-0) took over first place in Greater Spokane League softball with a 9-7 win over the Highlanders (5-1).

Johnson dropped a two-run single to left among three fielders for a 4-1 lead in the fourth. With U-Hi protecting a 7-5 lead in the seventh, she lashed a shot over the head of Skyla Mangis for two crucial insurance runs.

“This year is really the time I’ve been (showing more power) because I’ve been able to see the pitches and I know where they’re going now,” said Johnson, U-Hi’s leadoff hitter. … “You can be a triple threat. You can bunt, you can slap and you can hit.”

“That hit by Rachael was huge,” Titans coach Jon Schuh said. “Everybody thinks she can just slap it around, but she’s actually been showing more and more power.”

Johnson finished 3 for 5, scored twice and had one of U-Hi’s six stolen bases.

“We really push teams as far as they’ll go before they break,” said the returning first-team all-leaguer. “We steal bases all the time. We try to delay. We just work really hard.”

“I thought we did a good job executing first and third (bases),” Schuh said. “They didn’t really try to defend it. But we practice it every day, so there’s an expectation of that’s what we do.”

The contest matched teams that battled for 3A supremacy last year. Shadle defeated U-Hi at state to advance to a third-place game that it also won. The Titans have moved up to 4A this season.

Both teams had waltzed through the early part of this year’s GSL schedule. The Titans had outscored GSL teams 51-6 while Shadle entered with a 51-9 runs advantage.

Highlanders sophomore starting pitcher Jaya Allen struck out seven in five innings before leaving because of a strained back that has bothered her for about a week. Allen had a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the fifth to cut U-Hi’s lead to 5-3, but she strayed too far off the bag and was tagged out. She remained on the ground for a while before leaving the contest.

Shadle’s defense committed seven errors, including four when the Titans scored twice in the top of the sixth for a 7-3 lead.

The Highlanders fought back in the sixth and seventh, collecting two runs and three hits in both innings, but U-Hi starter Alex Douglas stranded Breanna Barnes on third base with a game-ending strikeout.

“When you spot U-Hi that many runs, it’s kind of hard to compete with that,” Shadle coach Guy Perham said. “But I’m proud of the kids for coming back to battle and not folding up their tents.”

“Shadle always gets better, especially the second time,” Schuh said. “That’s a team that’s going to grow a whole bunch so they’ll be a different team the next time we face them and I hope we’re a different team, too.”

Except for makeup games, the GSL will take a spring break until April 14.