The Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé Crimson Bears softball team finished their Southeast Conference schedule with a pair of wins over the Thunder Mountain Lady Falcons by scores of 8-6 Friday and 8-0 Saturday.
Friday saw the Crimson Bears score seven runs in the first two innings and hold off a late Lady Falcons rally for the win.
JDHS freshman Gwen Nizich took the first at bat and placed a one-strike pitch over the center field fence and senior Anna Dale allowed two balls to pass the plate before depositing the next pitch in the same patch of center field flowers for 2-0. Senior Mariah Schauwecker singled and scored on a hit by junior Kiah Yadao for 3-0 and senior Gloria Bixby grounded out to score Yadao for 4-0.
Nizich reached on a single in the bottom of the second inning, Dale walked and both stole a base with Nizich making hers the home plate for 5-0. Junior Mila Hargrave doubled to score Dale and Yadao doubled to score senior courtesy runner Bailey Hansen for 7-0.
Hargrave put a 1-2 count over the left field fence for 8-0 in the bottom of the fourth.
TMHS put two runs across in the top of the fourth with freshman Cambry Lockhart singling in junior Aliza Mesdag and junior Bryanna Eakes hitting a fielder’s choice scoring freshman Alayna Echiverri.
The Lady Falcons added four runs in the top of the sixth inning as Echiverri hit a bases loaded ground ball that resulted in a string of errors scoring junior Kennedy Love, junior Jack Lovejoy, Lockhart and Echiverri to close to 8-6.
JDHS pitcher Yadao came on in relief and secured the win in the top of the seventh. Hargrave started in the circle and went three innings, allowed one hit, walked two batters and struck out three. Schauwecker relieved for three innings, allowed six hits and six runs, walked one and struck out one.
Hargrave led the Crimson Bears bats going 2-4 with two runs batted in and one run scored. Nizich and Dale scored two runs. Dale, Yadao and Bixby had one RBI each.
Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé senior second baseman Gloria Bixby chases Thunder Mountain sophomore base runner Bryanna Eakes in a run down Saturday at Melvin Park during the Crimson Bears senior recognition series against the Falcons. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)
TMHS’ Lockhart and juniors Jenna Dobson and Kara Strong led with two hits each for the Lady Falcons, Eakes led with one RBI, and Echiverri led with two runs scored.
TMHS junior Ashlyn Gates went two innings, allowed six hits and seven runs, walked three and struck out one. Lovejoy relieved and allowed one hit and one run, walked two and struck out four.
Saturday’s conference game ended by a run-rule score of 8-0 after five innings. Crimson Bears starter Hargrave pitched all five, allowed two hits, walked one and struck out three for the win.
JDHS senior Carlynn Casperson led with two RBI. Dale, Schauwecker, Yadao, Billings, Car. Casperson and junior Chloe Casperson had one hit and one run scored each. Hargrave had one hit and Bixby one run scored.
TMHS’ Dobson and Gates had one hit apiece and Lovejoy took the loss in the circle allowing eight hits.
JDHS also played a non-conference game later Saturday as part of their senior recognition for Crimson Bears Billings, Car. Casperson, Hansen, Dale, Schauwecker, Bixby and Amira Andrews.
The Crimson Bears fell in that contest 6-5. Bixby, Schauwecker and sophomore Taiya Bentz all went two innings in the circle and Yadao closed. Dale led at the plate going 2-4 with two RBI and two RS.
The Lady Falcons were led by Gates’ 4-4, two RBI and one run performance and Lovejoy went 2-3 with one run. Lockhart and Eakes had one home run apiece. Lockhart went the full seven innings in the circle, allowing seven hits, five runs, walking two and striking out two.
The two Crimson Bears wins adjusted the JDHS record to 15-1 and dropped TMHS to 8-12 as both teams head to the Region V Softball Tournament on Moller Field in Sitka.
The tournament begins Thursday at 3 p.m. with top seed JDHS getting to play their cross-town rival TMHS one more time. That game is followed by second seed Ketchikan (10-17) playing host Sitka (19-13).
The double-elimination bracket continues Friday with the opening-round losers playing an elimination game at 3 p.m., and Thursday’s winners playing at 6 p.m.
Saturday features another elimination game at 10 a.m. followed by the 12:30 p.m. championship game. A possible title clash is scheduled for 3 p.m. if neither team has two losses.
