Freeman Softball Gains Third At State
The Great Northern League’s third-place softball team is the third best team in the state.
Freeman’s Scotties, who entered district playoffs as the GNL No. 3 seed, won seven of their final nine games to place third in the State 2A/1A Fastpitch Tournament.
“Did we expect this?” said coach Scott Carolan. “As a coach, I thought we had a great chance if key players performed the way they had all season.”
The players, including Freeman’s two seniors, Nicki Roecks and Karie Amend, lived up to expectations.
The Scotties compiled a 4-1 record in the state tournament, outscoring their opponents 37-3 and losing only a 1-0 game to runnerup Toutle Lake in a dramatic semifinal game.
“We easily could have been in the championship game,” said Carolan.
The team rallied around star pitcher Leslie White who threw five complete games, allowed but 14 hits and struck out 46 batters in 35 innings and compiled a 0.60 earned run average. White also batted .353.
Roecks and Michelle Kiddoo each hit .500 and each had eight runs batted in during the tournament. Roecks hit three triples and scored nine runs. Kiddoo had two doubles.
But it was Amend who had the tournament of her life.
“All season she played second fiddle to the top three,” said Carolan. “She had absolutely the best tournament I’ve seen.”
Amend batted .643 and was in the middle of seven double plays defensively.
Freeman beat returning finalist Kalama 6-0 in the tournament opener and followed with a 23-1 romp past Foster in the quarterfinals. Roecks and Kiddoo had five hits each and Amend four.
In Saturday’s semifinal, neither the Scotties nor Toutle Lake had a hit until the seventh inning, when the Ducks scored their winning run.
Freeman put runners on first and second with one out in the bottom of the inning, but didn’t score.
The team bounced back to oust Chimacum 7-1 and beat Adna 1-0 on White’s second shutout.
Carolan thought that Freeman could contend for the Great Northern League title, but the Scotties lost 1-0 to eventual champion Colville in extra innings to open the season.
Freeman didn’t lose again until season’s end when Pullman upset the Scotties to earn the No. 2 seed in district.
“We went through a period when we were beating weaker teams and there was a little bit of arrogance in us,” said Carolan. “Arrogance caught up to us against Pullman. It was a good wakeup call.”
Freeman avenged the loss at district and flourished at state.
“The experience of being there a year ago really helped,” said Carolan. “We knew when we walked away we were just as good as anyone there.”
Last weekend, despite the lack of notoriety in Yakima, Freeman proved its point.
“We rose to the level of the competition,” said Carolan. “It was a fun experience.”
After opener, EV dreams dashed
East Valley’s 3A tournament softball opener gave rise to hope.
Knight dreams were dashed in two following games.
Led by sophomore first baseman Amy Waltrip, the Knights defeated last year’s second-place finisher Issaquah 4-1 in their opener.
The team lost 9-4, despite 14 hits, and 8-3 thereafter to be eliminated from the tournament.
Waltrip had six hits during the tournament and played brilliant first base in the opening game.
“She saved us on two plays,” said coach Randy Burkhart.
Twice she dove forward to grab low throws for outs that otherwise wouldn’t have occurred.
In the third inning her catch completed a huge double play started by third baseman Megan Mackey’s spear of a hot smash to her left. In the fifth Waltrip’s lunge forward on a throw from Mackey assured an out on a close play at first.
“It’s natural,” said Waltrip of ability to stretch beyond the norm. “I’ve done it for so long I don’t worry. I love getting it done.”
EV scored three first-inning runs including RBIs by winning pitcher Katie Hirst and Rebecca Triplett and Waltrip’s first single. Waltrip also had a third-inning single and scored in the sixth on a hit by Nicole Sauve.
The Knights lost to defending champion Capital after leading 4-3 in the fifth, and to Jackson, which scored five times in the third.
Waltrip had four more hits, including two doubles.
She had struggled during the year after contracting mononucleosis.
“I’m finally getting back into it,” said Waltrip.
Too many errors for U-Hi
Defense and injuries betrayed University at the State 4A tournament.
The Titans committed 12 errors while losing two of three games.
Sophomore Sara Steblaj had five and junior Megan Owen had four of the Titans 16 tourney hits.