SELAH – What a difference a single day can make. After opening up the 2A fastpitch state tournament with a couple of mercy rule wins, and a perfect game from Savannah Smith on Friday, the Sehome Mariners found themselves in a familiar spot early against top ranked Ellensburg. In the top of the first inning, Carissa McDowell doubled, then moved to third after a fielding error. A wild pitch would put the Mariners up 1-0. Ellensburg would tie it up in the bottom half of the first, when Smith gave up a bases loaded walk.
In the bottom of the third however, Ellensburg opened the game up. A five-hit two-walk inning put the Bulldogs on top 6-1. Not only was the air taken out of the Mariners, but they also lost their starting catcher and clean up hitter, Megan Hall, to a hip injury during a close play at the plate.
The lone bright spot for Sehome came on a McDowell home run in the top of the fifth. Ellensburg however, would again answer with six more runs in the bottom half of inning to close out the game for a final score of 12-2, and end the hope of a Whatcom County state championship.
In the consolation bracket, the Mariners had to regroup quickly in order to take on the Selah Vikings, whose hopes of a title were beaten by W.F. West of Chehalis the night before.
After Smith had thrown three straight games, Coach Jim Emerson chose to start McDowell on the rubber. Seven hits and seven runs later, Smith came back into the circle to close out the first inning, finding the Mariners in an early 7-0 hole. After two more Vikings runs scored in the 3rd, McDowell and twin sister Tori led off the bottom half of the fourth with a couple singles. Taryn Clark then drove in a run with a fielder’s choice ground out, and Smith doubled, scoring MaryEllen Burfiend to close the gap to 9-2.
In the fifth, the Mariners cut it down even more when Tori McDowell tripled in Natalie Zender, and Burfiend doubled in McDowell to make the score 9-4. Yet again, the Vikings would answer in the sixth and seventh innings, adding three more runs, to a final score of 12-5.
In the two games, the Mariners were led by the McDowell twins. Carissa finished 5-for-7 with three singles, a double, a home run and two runs batted in. Sister Tori finished 3-for-6 with two singles, a triple and one run batted in.
Sehome ended its season with a commanding 22-4 record.
-BLAKE WITMAN
WhatcomPreps.com
Sorry Sehome coudn’t win them all. Nice playing but need more pitchers. Fresh arms always help in getting the job done.. (. Even in the majors).
Great story and well written! Thanks for capturing their season on Whatcom County Preps. Appreciate your coverage our local high school sports!!