The rain and wind didn’t stop Centralia from getting in a softball game against Rochester on the turf at Fort Borst Park on Tuesday, and the Tigers rolled to a 13-2 run-rule victory in its season opener.
“I’m very pleased to start off with a win,” Centralia coach David Orr said after the game with a smile. “We got a lot of work to do, but they did a great job.”
The Tigers (1-0) didn’t need long to get the bats going, as an RBI groundout from Brooklyn Sprague and an RBI double from McKenna Smith put the Tigers up 2-1 after the first inning of play.
After adding a run on a wild pitch in the second, the Tigers added seven runs in the third to blow the game open. In the frame, Smith, Antonia Saucedo, Lydia Lowe, Jaden Johnson, and Adrianne Lynch had RBI base hits, and MadDog Rothdeutsch added a sacrifice fly.
Johnson added an RBI single in the fourth, and Erickson added an RBI single in the fifth, which stood as the game’s final play.
By the end of the afternoon, eight different Tigers recorded a base hit, eight drove in at least one run, four tallied an extra-base hit, and all nine starters crossed home plate at least once.
It was a welcome sign for Orr, who watched as his group scored just one run in scrimmages against Adna and Montesano, the defending 2B and 1A state champions, in a jamboree on Saturday.
“From one to nine, they’re all really solid,” Orr said. “I’m excited to see what we can do offensively.”
Lynch also pitched the first four innings in the circle, allowing just two hits and one earned run while walking two and striking out seven. Smith pitched the fifth, allowing one hit and one earned run while walking two and striking out three.
Orr said he expects both to throw as the season goes on, but said Lynch has made strides and should be the main arm.
“I think Addy did an excellent job,” Orr said. “She’s been way more consistent this year.”
The one run Lynch gave up was in the top of the first, when Rochester’s Trinity Daniel took a 2-1 pitch over the left field fence for her first home run of the season.
Arissa LeBaron scored on a wild pitch in the fifth, but other than that, there wasn’t much for the Rochester (0-1) offense.
Charlie Culp had the Warriors’ only hit, and she was the only player on the field who had previous starting experience at the varsity level. Addi Morgan is expected back in a few weeks after she sustained an injury during a jamboree, and Josie Nygard spent some time with the varsity crew last spring.
Other than that, it’s plenty of fresh faces for coach Joni Guerrero.
“The sky is the limit, and we can only go up,” Guerrero said. “The big thing for us is being realistic about our goals and counting the small victories. Just little things here and there, being excited for each other, and growing all together … A lot of learning to be had, a lot of growth. They want to learn, they want to get better, and they want to win.”
Rochester’s next game is slated for Thursday in Napavine, while Centralia is scheduled to head to South Bend on Friday to face Raymond-South Bend.
“It’s a long trip,” Orr said. “Hopefully, the weather holds off for us down there.”
