The Yelm High School fastpitch team picked up one win and recorded two losses during their recent games.
The team secured a 19-5 win on Monday, April 17 against River Ridge, lost 7-6 in heartbreaking fashion to conference rivals Gig Harbor on Friday, April 21, and were defeated by Timberline 9-5 at home on Monday, April 24.
In their first game of the week, Yelm cruised to an easy victory over South Sound Conference foe River Ridge. Kylie Minker started on the mound for the Tornados, and after three innings of pitching, she was credited with the win.
“We have to control what we can control and score runs anytime we get runners on base. We have to find a way to get those runners in by putting the ball in play and making them do the work to get the out,” Yelm Head Coach Lindsay Walton said. “We have to take it one game at a time as we get closer to the postseason.”
Minker gave up six hits and three runs while striking out three during her time pitching. Her teammate Madisyn Erickson later pitched two innings in relief.
River Ridge was on the board first after Lana Trinidad doubled and collected an RBI. The Hawks added another run in the first inning to give themselves a quick 2-0 lead.
Yelm quickly responded in the bottom of the first inning with a run of their own, but still trailed 2-1. The team’s deficit didn’t last long, as the Tornados’ bats came to life in the bottom of the second inning.
The ladies scored eight runs in the inning behind strong at-bats from Austin Hitchner, Jocelyn Lintz and Layah Hicks. Hitchner collected an RBI on a sac fly and her teammate Lintz singled on the first pitch she saw for an RBI. Hicks cranked a homerun on a 3-2 count to score three runs. An error at the beginning of the inning started the scoring for the Tornados, as three crossed the plate following a defensive mistake from their opponents.
Yelm led 9-1 after the second inning.
Yelm scored an additional run in the third inning to extend its lead to 10-1, but the team’s scoring outburst continued in the bottom of the fourth inning as they scored nine runs.
Walton credited Carley Waite, Elissa Dewees, Miranda Hunt, Lintz, Mallory Hoke and Caylee Roberts with RBIs in Yelm’s highest scoring inning of the game.
During their victory over the Hawks, Yelm collected 16 hits. Hicks, Waite, Roberts, Dewees, Lintz, Hoke and Erickson each collected multiple hits. Hicks led the way at the plate, going 3 for 4 with a homerun and a plethora of RBIs.
Yelm’s next game was on Friday, April 21 against the Gig Harbor Tides on the road. The Tornados had a 6-5 lead in the sixth inning, but ended up losing 7-6 after a two-run home run by Riley Peschek.
Hoke started on the mound for the Tornados and lasted six innings. She allowed seven runs on five hits, and collected four strikeouts.
The Tides jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Yelm added two runs to the scoring column in the third, but their deficit increased in the fourth inning after two more Gig Harbor runs.
Entering the fifth inning, the Tornados trailed 5-2. After they added a run early in the fifth inning, Hicks tied the game up after a two-run home run. Hicks and Hitchner both collected RBIs in the inning.
The Tornados added a run in the sixth inning to lead 6-5 for the first time during the contest. The final score of the game came from Peschek’s go-ahead home run in the sixth, which brought the final score to 7-6 in Gig Harbor’s favor.
“Sometimes things are all about timing,” Walton said. “Just because we’ve lost these last few games doesn’t mean you’re out of it for good. We still have a good chance to qualify for districts and we’ll turn it on there.”
The Tornados totaled 12 hits on the day, compared to the Tides’ six. Roberts, Hicks, Hoke and Erickson each collected multiple hits. Roberts led the Tornados at the plate, going 3 for 4 on the day.
After Yelm’s 9-5 loss to Timberline at home on Monday, April 24, Walton gave props to the Blazers.
“They hit the ball hard and played really well. You gotta give credit where credit is due,” Walton said. “I think we watched too many strikes go by and left too many runners on base.”
Yelm was set to play Adna at home on Tuesday, April 25.
