Skyline routs Eastlake in cross-town softball showdown
The Skyline Spartans dealt the Eastlake Wolves a blow on Monday by handing them their third loss of the season.
It looked as though the Wolves would be the first to score for the night when the Spartans sent Eastlake’s Ava Grossi to first base on a walk, followed by a double from Audrey Borup. But Skyline’s Kaelani Randle managed to pitch her way out of the inning, leaving Eastlake runners stranded on second and third.
The Spartan bats then lit up in the second inning when Finley Caringer delivered the team’s first hit with a double. Caringer immediately stole third base and set up Skyline for their first run of the game. A groundball to left field sent Caringer home and created another scoring opportunity for Skyline. With a runner on first and a third hit delivered by Lindsey Murai, the Spartans closed the inning with a 3-0 lead.
Skyline continued their hitting streak in the third inning when Elle Sexton hit a ground ball right to the pitcher. In an attempt to throw out the runner at first, Eastlake’s Addi Baumgartner missed the first baseman, sending Sexton to second on an error. With a pair of walks to load the bases, pressure mounted for the Wolves as Caringer delivered with a straight shot down the third baseline, adding two RBIs and a score of 5-0 for the Spartans. Bringing Caringer across home plate on a sacrifice fly, Skyline ended their at-bat with a 6-0 lead.
In the bottom of the third inning, Eastlake finally answered back. Heather Lloyd advanced Malia Moriarty to second base while she made her way to first on a groundball up the middle to center field. Moriarty quickly stole third as Lloyd advanced to second. The inning ended with the Wolves scoring two runs to get on the board.
The Wolves kept the momentum going in the fourth inning when Annika Dayberry hit a long ball over the left fielder’s head for a double. Lloyd added a line drive down the first baseline to close the gap and end the inning with Skyline clinging to a 6-5 lead.
The sixth inning saw another hot streak for the Spartan bats that sealed Eastlake’s fate. Skyline loaded the bases and added two more to the board for an 8-5 lead to end the top of the sixth inning, with crucial run-producing at-bats from Randle and Sexton.
Unfortunately, the Wolves could not seem to reignite their fire. As they ran out of time and innings, Eastlake fell to the hot bats of Skyline for a final 8-5 loss.
Eastlake’s play continued Wednesday, April 5 at home against the Mount Si Wildcats, with a 6-5 victory. They will play at Newport High School Monday, April 10, at 5:00 p.m. Skyline’s softball team faced off against Newport at home on Wednesday, April 5, winning 11-1. They will be at Mount Si, on Monday, April 10, at 6:30 p.m.
