The Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé Crimson Bears softball team came out of their offseason hibernation hungry for large round yellow balls of goodness. It found plenty Thursday on Moller Field in the Sitka Varsity Invitational as the team defeated Wasilla and fell to Chugiak.
“This tournament lets us try different kids in different positions, try different lineups,” JDHS head coach Lexi Razor said. “And allows the players to get some games in that don’t matter as much as later in the season. It is much better to get beginning of the season jitters out here.”
A last-at-bat single by sophomore June Troxel ended the Crimson Bears first victory of the season 10-4 over their new Division I Railbelt Conference rival Wasilla after three innings as the 65-minute tournament game time limit expired.
The tournament time limit means teams need to be sharp from the start. JDHS was just that, but Wasilla “poked-the-bear” first and put two runs up in the top of the first inning.
Two JDHS errors sandwiched around two strikeouts by starting junior pitcher Gwen Nizich allowed one run across, and then a single gave the Warriors a 2-0 lead before Crimson Bears senior shortstop Tatum Billings fielded a ground ball and threw out a runner to teammate Troxel at second base.
JDHS struck back as first batter junior Alayna Echiverri hit a triple and scored on a fielding error. Sophomore Lily Hayes reached with an error on a double and then scored on a double by Nizich to tie the game. Freshman courtesy runner Sadie Lockhart spelled Nizich at second and senior Bryanna Eakes moved her to third as she reached on a hard-hit ground ball that was bobbled.
Billings then hit a sacrifice fly to center field scoring Lockhart and moving Eakes to third and she would score on a wild pitch for the 4-2 lead.
Wasilla tied the game again in the top of the second inning with a single and wild pitch that put two runners on and another single scored them both, but Nizich struck out three of the next four batters to end the inning.
JDHS collected five runs in the bottom of the second inning as Echiverri singled and scored on a Hayes ground ball, Nizich hit a line drive scoring Hayes, sophomore courtesy runner Taylor Williams relieved Nizich and scored on an Eakes hit, Billings reached on an error, senior Taiya Bentz sacrificed in Eakes and sophomore Brynn Wheeler singled in Billings for 9-0.
JDHS sophomore Skylar Oliva relieved Nizich in the circle and struck out a batter in the top of the third, allowed two singles but struck out the second out and then Hayes handled a line drive at third base leaving just enough time for Troxel to get the 10th point on the board in the bottom half.
“We struggled some defensively but our pitching was good,” JDHS coach Lexi Razor said. “We hit well and we ran the bases well.”
According to unofficial stats provided, Nizich allowed three hits and four runs, struck out seven batters and walked one. She faced 13 batters and threw 60 pitches with 40 strikes. Oliva allowed two hits and struck out two, faced five batters and threw 21 pitches with 12 strikes.
Echiverri led with two hits, Nizich, Eakes, Bentz and Wheeler one each. Echiverri, Hayes and Eakes scored two runs each, Billings and Troxel one apiece. Hayes, Nizich, Eakes, Billings, Bentz and Wheeler had one RBI each.
Wasilla’s Lorelai Clouse led the Warriors with two RBI, Rylee Harris and Mia Caldwell one apiece. Sarah Hample led with two hits. Madelyn Collins, Caldwell, Hample and Larissa Chace scored one run each. Caldwell pitched the loss, facing 18 batters, allowing six hits and striking out two.
JDHS next faced Division I Cook Inlet Conference power Chugiak and the Crimson Bears struck first against last season’s state runners-up Mustangs.
Echiverri earned a walk to lead off the top of the first inning, stole second base and then third, and scored on a ground ball out by Hayes for a 1-0 lead after half an inning.
The Mustangs showed just why they were two runs shy of a state title last season to East Anchorage as they piled on 10 runs in the bottom of the first inning for a commanding 10-1 lead. Crimson Bears pitcher Williams was struck by a line drive and relieved by Wheeler with two outs gone during that spree.
“Against Chugiak we struggled pitching and with defense again,” coach Razor said. “We didn’t hit as well as the first game, but we still got some good hits. Chugiak is a strong team that capitalized on our errors and their pitcher were good.”
JDHS led off the top of the second inning with Wheeler earning a walk and Bentz getting hit by a pitch, but two strikeouts and a ground ball back to the circle ended the threat.
Chugiak put an exclamation point on the game as they scored a run as the bottom of the second inning started and slowly loaded the bases setting the stage for CIC 2024 all-conference player Isabel Sjostrand to clear the bags and the right field fence for the 15-1 final.
Hayes led JDHS with one RBI, Nizich led with one hit and Echiverri with one run scored. Echiverri and Wheeler earned one walk apiece. Williams pitched two outs, struck out one batter, walked two, allowed six hits and 10 runs. Wheeler allowed two hits and five runs, walked four and struck out two.
Chugiak’s Sjorstrand went 3-3 at the plate with two runs scored and five RBI; Samantha McCulloch went 2-2 with two runs and two RBI; Rachel Wood two RBI, Celeste Mast and Brooklyn McCormick three hits apiece. Lainey Ropp earned the win, facing 10 batters over two innings, allowing one hit and one run, striking out three and walking two.
“Alayna (Echiverri), Gwen (Nizich) and Brynn (Wheeler) all hit very well today,” Razor said. “Our baserunners were aggressive and fast on the bases, which is what we want out of them.”
JDHS will face Kodiak and host Sitka on Friday and Sitka, Wasilla and Ketchikan on Saturday to end the tournament.
Razor noted that defense and pitching were areas that will come around.
“For defense we need more reps and time,” she said. “We have players that can do it, we just need more time working with them. A lot of it is first-game jitters still, so those will work out. That is the same for pitchers. They have all put in a lot of work in the offseason, so we know they will do better.”
