The Rainier High School softball team had plenty of questions to answer after the Mountaineers lost five of six games, capped off by an 11-1 run-rule home loss to Adna on Wednesday, April 24.
Head coach Katie Qualls’ team struggled to string together hits as Rainier recorded just two, including a Keira Anderson solo homer, against the Pirates. In the last three games, all losses, Rainier had scored a total of five runs while allowing 40.
But on Monday, April 29, the Mountaineers offense suddenly found a spark against Central 2B League heavyweight Napavine. Rainier blasted the Tigers, 21-11, on the road to hand them their third loss of the season, second in league play. Eight of the Mountaineers’ nine batters recorded an RBI, while six batters logged multiple hits. They were led by junior shortstop Brooklynn Swenson, who erupted for two home runs, including a grand slam and a career-high nine RBIs. Her big day at the plate marked her first career multi-home run game.
Rainier also received help from the bottom of the order, as Gracie Lantz, Layla Hill and Josie Vance all drove in runs and reached base at least three times.
Qualls credited her team’s offensive adjustments in the victory, which snapped a three-game skid.
“We talked about making adjustments on offense, being more aggressive and smart. The girls were patient and looking for strikes,” she said. “We worked on scoring early and keeping up the pace. Napavine hits really well, so we needed to be aggressive at the plate. The lineup as a whole was really focused and produced for the team. It was a great game of teamwork.”
It was a complete offensive performance for Rainier, as the Mountaineers put up one run in the first, five in the second, four in the fourth, two in the fifth, one in the sixth and eight in the seventh. They recorded 18 hits, including four for extra bases, and walked 14 times, while striking out just four times. Rainier’s 21 runs were the most allowed by Napavine in a game this season.
The defense also improved after a sloppy last couple of outings, with only two errors on the scoreboard against the Tigers. Center fielder Layla Hill had the highlight of the night as she robbed Napavine’s Taylen Evander of a home run by leaping over the fence. Ryleigh Cruse pitched a complete game for Rainier, giving up 20 hits, 10 runs (nine earned) and five walks while striking out three batters on 132 pitches.
Rainier (7-8, 3-3 C2BL) will look to continue its newly found momentum at 4 p.m., on Thursday, May 2, with a road game against Kalama (5-7, 1-3 C2BL). Each of the Mountaineers’ final three opponents — Kalama, Winlock and Toutle Lake — have losing records as of Tuesday, April 30.
