Wolfpack Fast-pitch bumped from Districts

MABTON–Dayton-Waitsburg Wolfpack Softball finished fourth in the Eastern Washington Athletic Conference with a 5-15 record, and took the fourth spot in the District tourney, but was eliminated after two games.

DW fell at Kittitas 17-2 on May 17, then was dropped from the consolation bracket after a 14-19 loss to Mabton on Friday, May 20.

“The Mabton game was a very hard-played game,” commented Head Coach Carly Benavides. Maddy Gallardo batted 1000 for DW and Megan Forney hit a home run that was huge, she said.

However, a couple crucial errors on defense made the difference in the game, Benavides commented.

“Dayton-Waitsburg answered back each time with pushing runs across,” Benavides said. “They worked very hard but just came up a little bit short in the end.”

The Wolfpack jumped to a 3-2 lead in the first but Mabton scored five runs in the second and from there never trailed again, although DW was hot on their trail. The most damage was Mabton’s 11-run third inning where their 18-4 lead gave them enough insurance to hold out.

The Wolfpack cam back with five runs in the fourth, four in the fifth and sixth innings, and were within spitting distance at 23-17 beginning the seventh, but couldn’t muster a rally.

“I am super proud of them,” Benavides said. “They played with a lot of heart and integrity.”

At Kittitas, the Coyotes went ahead 6-1 in the first, 21-1 in the second and closed the game with five runs in the fourth for the 17-2 mercy-rule win.

“We struggled getting hits,” Coach Benavides said. “We Played hard, but we just couldn’t quite put it in play and we had some errors that cost us a few runs.”

Mabton 24, DW 19 (5/20)

R H E

Mab 25(11) 032 1-24 10 5

DW 301 544 2-19 21 8

Battery: Mabton-M. Simpson and J. Simpson. DW-Forney and Struckmeier.

Hits: Mabton-Barajas, J. Simpson, M. Simpson 3, Garzzon 2, Moreno 2, Reyna. DW-Culley 3, Segraves 3, Struckmeier 2, Forney 3, Gallardo 5, Groom, Atteberry 2, Hutchens 2.

Kittitas 17, DW 2 (5/17)

R H E

DW 100 1-2 0 9

Kit 660 5-17 14 3

Battery: DW-Forney and Struckmeier. Kittitas-Phillips and Miller.

Hits: DW-None. Kittitas-Phillips 3, Moore 2, Huber, Gay 2, Miller 4, Hillenbrand, Nevus.