In a typically difficult environment to escape with victory, the Bellevue College softball team traveled to perennial power Douglas and managed to scratch out a split, winning 9-1 before dropping a close one, 7-6 in the nightcap. Both games featured breakout innings by the Bulldogs in the later innings.
In the opener, the score remained tied 0-0 through four innings before Douglas took the lead 1-0 in the bottom of the fifth. With a home field advantage and only six outs to go, Douglas could not hold on as their defense crumbled in addition to timely hitting as the Bulldogs put up nine runs in the final two innings to reverse the momentum of what appeared to be a Douglas victory. In the sixth, freshman speedster outfielder Kiera Shipley led off the inning with a single and scored the tying run on a base hit by Tatum Dow. Tori McDowell, Megan Paoli, and Darian Olin all then followed with doubles along with sloppy play by the Royals leading to the big inning. Bellevue tacked on three more in the seventh on three more errors. Macey Sykes, who threw a gem in Bellevue’s initial win over Douglas earlier in the season, followed up with nearly identical results, allowing one run and five hits in the complete game in the circle.
In game two, Bellevue elected to run with Sykes again in the circle, but Douglas hitters, after 14 innings against her, finally made adjustments and scored early leading 3-0 before Sykes was replaced by Rhaney Harris. They Royals would add on, building a 5-0 lead through four. Bellevue erupted for a big inning late in the game, similar to game one by tying the game with five runs in the top of the fifth. Katie Noble delivered the big blow; a two-out double that scored McDowell and Dow. Douglas would answer with a key two-RBI single that BC could not recover from as their magic ran out in the seventh.
Bellevue remains atop the North Region at 21-3 (32-4 overall). They host Edmonds (15-3) in a key doubleheader this Saturday April 27. The two teams split earlier in the year as the Tritons bring in a current 14-game winning streak into the showdown on Saturday. First pitch is set for 12:00 p.m.
Last Updated April 24, 2019
