The Ice claim Bainbridge softball title
Published 9:27 am Wednesday, July 1, 2015
BAINBRIDGE – The Ice claimed a 9-6 win over perennial rivals The Commotion recently to bring home the Bainbridge Island Little League Softball Intermediate Championship.
The Ice and Commotion were no strangers to each other as they entered the contest.
Far from it, in fact.
Prior to the game, the teams faced each other six times during the season with each team winning three games.
The Commotion struck first. Solid singles in the first inning by Ruby Narte and Piper Grossberg, combined with defensive errors led to an early 3-0 Commotion lead.
The Ice manufactured a run in the bottom of the first when Kate Wikstrom walked, and subsequently stole bases without the benefit of a hit.
In the second inning, Wikstrom dominated on the mound setting down the side in order.
The Ice then narrowed the lead to 3-2 when Bella Boback led off the inning with a double, and eventually scored on Claire Hungerford’s ground out.
In the third, the Commotion pushed their lead to 5-2 when Sophia Rutherford and Sofia Peato scored after the second of three hits from Grossberg.
The Ice refused to be frozen out, and rallied in their bottom of the third. After falling behind 1-2, Darby O’Hare coaxed a walk and stole second and third.
Then, with two outs, O’Hare scored on another Wikstrom hit. After Mia Alpaugh walked, both Wikstrom and Alpaugh scored on a solid double by Samara Hutchins to tied the score at 5-5.
In the top of the fourth, Ice pitcher Kylie Bushnell shut down the Commotion in order. Control problems struck the Commotion in the fourth. Bella Boback led off the bottom of the fourth with a walk, followed by walks to Tess Longoria, Hungerford and Samantha Boulware.
After Boback scored — giving the Ice their first lead of the evening — a close play at the plate went the Commotion’s way for the first out.
After a strike out, the Ice had the bases loaded with two outs and leadoff hitter Emma Greathouse up to bat. The third grader from Blakely promptly blasted a three run double that pushed the Ice lead to 9-5. Bushnell and Wikstrom then limited the Commotion to one run in the final two innings to prevail 9-6.
The Ice finished the season 15-4.
