Wildcats stun Meadowdale | Softball

This is why they play the games on the field and not on paper. The Oak Harbor High School softball team, which had won just three of 12 games, upset previously unbeaten Meadowdale 11-2 Tuesday, April 26, on the Wildcats’ diamond.

By Jim Waller • April 28, 2016 1:27 pm

This is why they play the games on the field and not on paper.

The Oak Harbor High School softball team, which had won just three of 12 games, upset previously unbeaten Meadowdale 11-2 Tuesday, April 26, on the Wildcats’ diamond.

Oak Harbor, a member of the Wesco North division, broke a five-game losing streak with the win. All five of the losses were in crossover games with Wesco South teams, and four were by 10 runs or more. All of those teams fell to South leader Meadowdale earlier this year.

Meadowdale (13-1) entered the game having 10-runned four consecutive North teams, including Everett, which thumped the Wildcats 23-0 several weeks ago.

In fact, Meadowdale has 10-runned every opponent but one this spring, and it won that game by eight runs.

Not only did Oak Harbor beat the Mavericks, but they came within one pitch of turning the tables and triggering the mercy rule in the sixth inning.

Coming into the game, Oak Harbor coach Tashina Tosh said she “reassured” her club that any team could beat another on any given day. The Wildcats proved her point.

Tosh added that she knew her team had a chance if it could generate a strong offense and play good defense.

“Everyone hit; we had a base runner on in every inning,” she said. “The defense was tight.”

“We had good practices leading up to this,” she added.

Oak Harbor registered 11 hits in the game, three by Audrey Howard, and seven of the nine starters collected at least one hit.

The Wildcats committed only two errors.

Pitcher Tricia Sarns tossed a four-hitter and allowed only one earned run. She struck out three and walked two.

The Mavericks average 14 runs per game.

Sarns put Meadowdale down in order over the first three innings, then the Mavericks scored their two runs in the fourth on a single, error and double.

Oak Harbor scored three runs in the second inning. Two walks and an error loaded the bases, then No. 9 hitter Liz Adams singled in two runs. Alexa Findley followed with an RBI base hit.

In the third, Oak Harbor scored twice when Sarns walked and Howard and Cierra LeGendre hit back-to-back doubles.

The Wildcats added a run in the fourth with Findley reached on an error and eventually scored on Sarns’ single.

Oak Harbor padded its lead with five runs in the sixth.

Findley opened the inning with a double and moved to third on Shea Davis’ bunt single. Kelly Findley followed with a base hit, plating her sister. After an out, Howard singled to load the bases. LeGendre and Lyndsay Duchnowski sandwiched walks around an out to force in two runs. Adams then rapped her second two-run single of the game to finish the scoring.

Howard had three hits and scored two runs; Alexa Findley added a single and double for two runs and an RBI; Adams was 2-for-4 with four RBI; Kelly Findley finished with a single and RBI; LeGendre had a double, two runs and three RBI; Davis singled and scored; and Sarns collected a single, run and RBI.

“I hope the kids take this confidence into our next game,” Tosh said.

Oak Harbor (2-2, 4-9) gets back into Wesco North play when it travels to Everett (4-2, 11-4) at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 28.

(Left: Oak Harbor left fielder Lyndsay Duchnowski makes a running grab.