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There must have been something special in the water at Meadowdale Playfield on Monday as the Edmonds-Woodway Warriors and Meadowdale Mavericks combined for 21 runs, 27 hits and 13 extra-base hits in their rivalry matchup on the softball diamond.
But in the end, it was a series of singles and sound pitching that decided the two-hour-and- 45-minute slugfest.
Edmonds-Woodway used five singles and a pair of walks to manufacture three runs in top of the eighth to get past Meadowdale 12-9 in an extra-inning Wesco League South Conference contest played on Monday.
Madeline Jones, Amari Davidson-Lee and Alyssa Hsu all hit eighth-inning RBI singles against a drawn-in Mavericks’ infield to put the Warriors up for good. Then pitcher Helena Marsh secured the E-W win by keeping the Mavericks off the scoreboard in the bottom of the eighth, ending the game with a strikeout of Meadowdale’s Lillian McCormick.
The E-W victory came after the Warriors had led 5-0 after their half of the first inning, trailed 8-6 after five innings and then were knotted with the Mavs at 9-9 after seven innings.
“I was really, really impressed with our whole team’s resilience,” said Jones, the only senior on the Edmonds-Woodway roster.
The Warriors jumped out to an early advantage by getting their first six batters of the game to reach base, with the first five scoring. The big blow in the first inning was a three-run home run by Noa Gillespie to right-center. The junior finished the game by going 2-for-4 at the plate with a walk and five RBI’s.
But the Warrior lead was short-lived as the Mavericks scored three runs in each of their first two innings. Payton Warnock slugged a two-run double to deep center while teammate Arianna Lyon added an RBI double in the first inning. In the second, Madison Mitchell laced an RBI double to center field and Sam Martens followed with a two-run homer over the center field fence.
E-W tied the game at 6-6 when sophomore Audrey Sommer slugged her first dinger of the season in the fourth inning.
Meadowdale, with single runs in the fourth and fifth innings, took an 8-6 lead, but saw that advantage evaporate when E-W scored three in the top of the sixth off an RBI double by Bella Swanson and a two-run single by Gillespie.
Jones admitted that her Warrior squad was rocked by the loss of their lead in the fifth inning. “That was definitely a big struggle for us,” she said. “But I’m super impressed with how we battled back and kept at it.”
The sixth-inning Gillespie single that gave E-W the lead back came when her hard line drive up the middle hit Meadowdale starting pitcher Payton Aldridge in the abdomen. Aldridge laid on the mound for several minutes after the hit, then was eventually helped to the dugout and ultimately taken by family for a medical exam.
The Mavs were able to tie the game at 9-9 in the bottom of the sixth inning on consecutive doubles by Mitchell and Martens, with Mitchell scoring from second base on Martens’ two-bagger.
A scoreless seventh inning by both teams set the stage for the dramatics that unfolded in the eighth inning.
After E-W starting pitcher Madi Kinzel yielded six runs in the first two innings, she was relieved on the mound by Marsh, who ended up pitching six innings, scattering seven hits, giving up three runs but striking out 10 batters.
In a game full of twists and turns, one of the most significant came in the bottom of the fourth. After Meadowdale scored a run and then loaded the bases with no one out, Marsh struckout Skyler Marino, Mackenzie Kim and Zoe De Mello in order to get the Warriors out of the inning.
Jones gave high praise to Marsh, who gets called upon often to slow the momentum of opposing offenses.
“Helena has been one of our great pitchers for all of her years,” Jones said. “She is super consistent. She gets thrown into these really difficult situations; and the way she keeps her composure is super inspiring and keeps everyone grounded. It’s great to see that we’ve got some on the mound who is very emotionally confident and physically confident.”
Jones also noted the attitude of teammate Bella Swanson. The E-W freshman shortstop went 4-for-5 with three runs scored in Monday’s victory.
“She’s put in so much work and been such a positive face (with) positive energy the entire season,” Jones said of Swanson. “I don’t think there’s ever a time when I see her shoulders down or getting down on herself. She’s great at that mental resilience and physical resilience.”
The extra-inning loss for Meadowdale was the second of the season to their crosstown rival. On April 1, the Mavericks fell 6-5 to the Warriors (4-3 in 2A/3A Wesco League South Conference, 5-8 overall), also in eight innings.
Despite Monday’s loss, Meadowdale Coach Julia Reuble remained upbeat after the game.
“I think we played a great game,” Reuble said. “Those games are what we live for. That’s what we want as competitors and athletes. We want to be put in those high-pressure situations. Unfortunately, today didn’t go in our direction. But I think, if a few things changed — we push a run or two (over) when the bases are loaded and the energy shifts — we win that game.”
Monday’s defeat broke a modest three-game winning streak the Mavericks had been on. The team will have a few days to think about their setback and prepare for their next outing, a Friday, April 24, home game against Monroe.
Reuble said she and her Mavs (3-3 in 2A/3A Wesco League South play, 5-6 overall) will quickly put Monday’s loss behind them.
“I think we’re going to come out and we’re going to practice even harder and we’re going to get ready for our next competitor,” Reuble said. “We always flush that last one and then our sights are on our next competitor.”
Prep Fastpitch Softball: Edmonds-Woodway at Meadowdale, Apr. 20
Edmonds-Woodway 5 0 0 1 0 3 0 3 – 12 14 4
Meadowdale 3 3 0 1 1 1 0 0 – 9 13 3
Winning pitcher: Helena Marsh (Edmonds-Woodway); 6 IP, 7 hits, 3 runs, 3 ER, 10 SO, 4 BB
Losing pitcher: Skylar Marino (Meadowdale); 2.1 IP, 5 hits, 3 runs, 3 ER, 2 SO, 2 BB
Records: Edmonds-Woodway 4-3 in 2A/3A Wesco League South Conference, 5-8 overall; Meadowdale 3-3 in 2A/3A Wesco League South Conference, 5-6 overall
Edmonds-Woodway next game: versus Lynnwood; Wednesday, April 22; 4 p.m. at Lynnwood High School
Meadowdale next game: versus Monroe; Friday, April 24; 4 p.m. at Meadowdale Playfield
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