Aberdeen moved one step closer to potential league title with a thrilling win over W.F. West as we review Wednesday’s prep softball action on the Harbor.
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PREP SOFTBALL
Aberdeen 3, W.F. West 2
In the first game of a critical midweek two-game set for Aberdeen, the Bobcats capitalized on W.F. West mistakes to earn a 3-2 walk-off win on Wednesday at the Bishop Athletic Complex in Aberdeen.
Entering the game one game up on the Bearcats and tied with Tumwater atop the 2A Evergreen Conference, the Bobcats (11-1 overall, 6-1 2A Evergreen) trailed early after an error followed by a two-out, two-run home run off the bat of Karlee Coleman put the Bearcats (7-5, 4-3) up 2-0 in the top of the first inning.
Aberdeen responded with a run in the bottom half of the inning after leadoff hitter Scotlyn Lecomte tripled and came in to score on an RBI sacrifice fly from Britten Neal.
ALICIA TISDALE | ALICIA TISDALE PHOTOGRAPHY Aberdeen’s Scotlyn Lecomte (17) heads toward second base in the first inning of a 3-2 win over W.F. West on Wednesday at the Bishop Athletic Complex in Aberdeen.
The Bobcats tied the game in the third when Lecomte singled and eventually came in to score when Camp popped up to Bearcats pitcher Taylor Tobin, who flubbed what would have been the third out of the inning. The ball skipped into foul territory, allowing Lecomte to sprint in from third to knot the game up at 2-2.
The score would remain that way over the next 3.5 innings as Camp and Tobin – two of the league’s top pitchers – settled in to quiet opposition offenses.
Camp faced a pressure-packed situation in the top of the sixth with runners on the corners and two outs after an Aberdeen error, but the Bobcats right-hander struck out Rayah Middleton looking to end the frame.
Tobin wiggled around a one-out double off the bat of Aberdeen second baseman Ally Adams to keep the game tied heading into the seventh.
Tobin led off the Bearcats half of the seventh by reaching on a hit by pitch and was replaced with courtesy runner Charlie Clinton.
Camp then got Francesca Remund to strike out followed by a sac bunt off the bat of Monroe Dalrymple to advance Clinton to second.
With two on and two outs after Camp plunked center fielder Tanner Tobin with a pitch, the Cats ace came up clutch when she struck out Gracie Elam looking on a full-count pitch, stranding Clinton at second.
ALICIA TISDALE | ALICIA TISDALE PHOTOGRAPHY Aberdeen ace Lilly Camp allowed one earned run and struck out 13 to earn the victory in a 3-2 win over W.F. West on Wednesday in Aberdeen.
Aberdeen got straight to work in the bottom half as Lecomte recorded her third leadoff hit of the game with a single to center, stole second and advanced to third when a Tobin couldn’t cleanly field a swinging bunt by Neal.
With runners at second and third with no outs, Bobcats leading hitter Alyssa Yakovich promptly smacked a hard ground ball down the third base line to Coleman at third, who dove to keep the ball from reaching the outfield and Lecomte from scoring the winning run, but her throw was late to first as Yakovich reached to load the bases.
Tobin then struck out Camp to bring Aberdeen’s Maysinn Jones to the dish.
Against a drawn-in infield, the Bobcats first baseman hit a sharp grounder to Avalon Myers at short. Myers couldn’t come up with the ball cleanly as it bounced off her glove, allowing Lecomte to score the game-winning run.
ALICIA TISDALE | ALICIA TISDALE PHOTOGRAPHY Aberdeen players celebrate a 3-2 win over W.F. West on Wednesday at the Bishop Athletic Complex in Aberdeen.
Camp earned the win with another all-state performance, allowing one earned run on two hits with a walk and 13 strikeouts.
Camp brought her season totals to a 0.37 ERA with 146 strikeouts and a .650 WHIP. Opposing teams are hitting a mere .108 off the Aberdeen senior superstar this season.
Lecomte is now hitting a sparkling .474 this season after going 3 for 4 at the plate with Adams providing a spark with three hits – including a double – to move her average to .500 since entering the lineup.
ALICIA TISDALE | ALICIA TISDALE PHOTOGRAPHY Aberdeen’s Ally Adams rounds first after hitting a double in a 3-2 victory over W.F. West on Wednesday at the Bishop Athletic Complex in Aberdeen.
The win keeps the Cats even with Tumwater, which thrashed Shelton 25-3 on Wednesday.
The Bobcats and Thunderbirds are set to meet in a first-place showdown at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday in Aberdeen.
W.F. West 200 000 0 – 2 2 4
Aberdeen 101 000 1 – 3 8 2
WP: Camp (7 IP, 2R, 0ER, 2H, BB, 13K). LP: Tay. Tobin (6.1 IP, 3R, 2ER, 8H, BB, 5K).
Leading hitters: WFW – Coleman (1-3, HR, R, 2RBI); Elam (1-4). Aberdeen – Lecomte (3-4, 3B, 3R); Adams (3-3, 2B); Yakovich (2-4); Camp (0-4, RBI); Jones (0-4, RBI); Neal (0-4, RBI).
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Rochester 5, Elma 4
Elma’s late rally fell one run short in a 5-4 loss to Rochester on Wednesday in Rochester.
The Eagles (8-4, 3-3 1A Evergreen) tied the game at 1-1 when left fielder Chloe Donais came in to score on a single by third baseman Lynsee Bednarik in the top of the third inning.
The Warriors (10-2, 5-0) regained the lead with a run on a ground out in the bottom of the frame and took a 3-1 lead an an Eagles error on a pop fly to the outfield in the fourth.
Elma got a run back in the fifth when center fielder Emily Comer crossed the plate on a Warriors error on a ground ball by Keira White to make it a 3-2 game.
Rochester standout Layna Demers then belted a two-run home run to left field in the bottom of the sixth to put Elma in a 5-2 hole.
The never-say-die Eagles rallied in the seventh as Donais, catcher Raelynn Weld and Comer singled to load the bases with no outs.
Bednarik then singled to center field, driving in Donais and Weld to put the Eagles to within a run at 5-4.
White advanced Bednarik and Comer to second and third, respectively, with a ground out to short, putting the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position with one out.
But Demers got pitcher Ashlynn Weld to pop out at first and Jasmyne Kish to ground out to short to end the game.
Bednarik had two hits and three RBI while Comer went 2 for 4 with a triple and run scored to lead Elma’s offense.
The Eagles sit in third place in the 1A Evergreen League and will face Tenino at 4 p.m. on Thursday in Tenino.
Elma 001 010 2 – 4 8 3
Rochester 101 102 x – 5 8 2
WP: Demers (7 IP, 4R, 3ER, 8H, BB, 10K). LP: A. Weld (6 IP, 5R, 3ER, 8H, 5BB, 7K).
Leading hitters: Elma – Bednarik (2-3, 3RBI); Comer (2-4, 3B, R); R. Weld (1-3, R, SB); K. Monroe (1-2, 3B); A. Weld (1-4, 2B); Donais (10-3, 2R). Rochester – Vassar (3-3, 3B, 3R); Hartley (2-3); Demers (1-2, HR, R, 2RBI); Boyd (1-4, 2B, RBI); LeBaron (1-4).
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Other games
Wishkah Valley 14, Lake Quinault 2
