Crimson Bears awaken in Sitka softball tourney

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The Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé Crimson Bears softball team came out of their offseason hibernation hungry for large round yellow balls of goodness. It found plenty Thursday on Moller Field in the Sitka Varsity Invitational as the team defeated Wasilla and fell to Chugiak.

“This tournament lets us try different get some games in that don’t matter as much as later in the season. It is much better to get beginning of the season jitters out here.”

A last-at-bat single by sophomore June Troxel ended the country wise email marketing list Crimson Bears first victory of the season 10-4 over their new Division I Railbelt Conference rival Wasilla after three innings as the 65-minute tournament game time limit expired.

The tournament time limit means teams need to be sharp from the start. JDHS was just that, but Wasilla “poked-the-bear” first and put two runs up in the top of the first inning.

Two JDHS errors sandwiched around two strikeouts by starting junior pitcher Gwen Nizich allowed one run across, and then a single gave the Warriors a 2-0 lead before Crimson Bears senior shortstop Tatum Billings fielded a ground ball and threw out a runner to teammate Troxel at second base.

JDHS struck back as first batter junior Alayna Echiverri hit a triple and scored on a fielding error. Sophomore Lily Hayes reached with an error on a double and then scored on a double by Nizich to tie the game. Freshman courtesy runner Sadie Lockhart spelled Nizich at second and senior Bryanna Eakes moved her to third as she reached on a hard-hit ground ball that was bobbled.

Billings then hit a sacrifice fly to center field scoring Lockhart and moving Eakes to third and she would score on a wild pitch for the 4-2 lead.

Wasilla tied the game again in the top of the second inning with a single and wild pitch that put two runners on and another single scored them both, but Nizich struck out three of the next four batters to end the inning.

JDHS collected five runs in the bottom of the second inning as Echiverri singled and scored on a Hayes ground ball, Nizich hit a line drive scoring Hayes, sophomore courtesy runner Taylor Williams relieved Nizich and scored on an Eakes hit, Billings reached on an error, senior Taiya Bentz sacrificed in Eakes and sophomore Brynn Wheeler singled in Billings for 9-0.