The Yelm fastpitch team picked up two much needed wins as the Tornados defeated Capital High School, 16-4, on Tuesday, April 11, and secured another victory against Central Kitsap High School, 15-2, on Thursday, April 13.
In their first games following spring break, and after a come-from-behind victory against Timberline on Thursday, March 30, Yelm’s offense kept rolling. The Tornados outscored Capital and Central Kitsap 31-6.
“It was great to come off of spring break and get two solid wins. Our defense was much cleaner and our pitchers threw very well,” Yelm head coach Lindsay Walton said. “We know if we get runners on we have to find a way to score them and that’s what we did well this last week.”
Kylie Minker started on the mound against Capital High School. Minker had an easy and clean first inning before she turned things over to Yelm’s offense, which exploded in the bottom of the first frame, as the team scored 11 runs.
Austin Hitchner got the scoring started for the Tornados when she hit into a fielder’s choice, but collected an RBI in the process.
The Tornados added to their scoring again in the fifth inning, this time collecting five runs in yet another big frame. Hitchner and Carley Waite each racked up multi-hit games for Yelm.
Hitchner led her team in hits with three, picking up two doubles in the process. She collected six RBIs in the contest.
As a team, Yelm collected 11 hits. Minker lasted five innings and struck out six batters. She surrendered four runs throughout the 16-4 win.
It was much of the same when Yelm hosted Central Kitsap High School in their second matchup of the week.
Central Kitsap got on the board first, leading 1-0 in the first frame of the game, but Yelm jumped out to a quick 6-1 lead after a single by Madisyn Erickson, a triple by Hitchner, a single by Hoke and a home run by Caylee Roberts all scored runners.
In the third inning, the Tornados scored nine runs. The big inning was led by batters Elissa Dewees, Erickson, Miranda Hunt, Hitchner, Mallory Hoke and Minker. They all collected RBIs to extend Yelm’s lead to 15-1.
Erickson started on the mound for the Tornados, going five innings and allowing just two runs on three hits. She struck out three batters.
The Tornados secured an 18-4 win against River Ridge on Monday, April 17. They were scheduled to travel to Gig Harbor for a South Sound Conference game on Thursday, April 20.
“That will be a very big game. We need to pull out a win in order to give ourselves a shot at finishing second in league,” Walton said, later adding, “Every game is important at this point.”
Walton added all of the players have contributed to the team’s wins in some way, shape or form, regardless of if they played throughout the entire game.
“These girls have each other’s backs and I see their bonds growing as we head into the second half of the season,” Walton said.
