Bellevue College softball showed in their season opener that this may be their year as the Bulldogs took two over perennial title contenders Lower Columbia College and Clackamas (OR) by scores of 10-3 and 12-4 on Saturday February 25.
In the opener, Bellevue jumped out 9-0 as returning sluggers Cierra Barkis and Brianna Attwood delivered extra base hits in the four-run second inning. Barkis and Attwood delivered again as both doubled in the third inning to plate another four runs for the big lead. Bellevue then rode the arm of sophomore Payton Gibbs, who struck out 12 in the circle and allowed only 3 hits in her six-inning shutout.
In game two, Bellevue defeated one of the top teams in Oregon, Clackamas, 12-4 behind another early offensive outbreak as the Bulldogs put up five runs in the first inning. Barkis carried her hot bat into game two with another double in the first and was followed by Justi Johnson who tripled. Johnson, a freshman from Issaquah HS, finished the game 2-for-3 with 3 runs scored. Clackamas would battle back, making it a 6-4 game entering the fifth before Bellevue’s offense would get going again by putting up six runs over the next two innings to put the game away for good. Attwood doubled in an inning that was fueled by several Clackamas miscues including walks, passed balls, and errors. In the sixth, Becca Fortney came off the bench and doubled while Kiley Ochoa led off the inning with a single and a stolen base. Ochoa was 2-for-4 with 2 runs. Barkis and freshman Emma Jimenez each had 2 hits and 2 RBI’s.
Bellevue’s next action is this weekend in neutral site round-robin series against SW Oregon and Chemeketa (OR) at Edmonds CC. On Saturday March 4, Bellevue will play at 4:00 p.m. (vs. SW Oregon) and 6:00 p.m. (vs. Chemeketa). On Sunday March 5, the Bulldogs play SW Oregon at 11:00 a.m. followed by a nightcap vs. Chemeketa at 4:00 p.m.
Last Updated February 27, 2017
