Softball suffers tough loss to West Valley in extra innings

WEST VALLEY — The Sandpoint girls softball team was defeated by West Valley, 13-12, on Wednesday, March 29 in an eight-inning thriller.

Both teams came into the game winless on the season, but it was the Eagles who ultimately prevailed. A walk-off double by Sorrel Stewart in the bottom of the eighth sealed the deal. The outcome was a repeat of last year’s game against West Valley, which saw Sandpoint fall in a 10-11 loss in extra innings. Despite the loss, coach Elizabeth Hawkins-Williams said Wednesday’s game was a step in the right direction for Sandpoint.

“We took a huge step forward as a team today. We came out playing hard and maintained good attitudes throughout the entire game. The players were supportive of each other, and it helped the team play hard into extra innings,” Hawkins-Williams said.

The first runs of the game did not actually come until the third inning; the Bulldogs lit up the scoreboard with an eight-run effort. Peyton Cessna and Cadence Skibitsky started the rally with back-to-back RBI singles. Cessna had two RBI singles in the same inning as the Bulldogs were able to bat around in the order. She had three hits and 2 RBIs in the contest.

The Eagles came back with two of their own in the third inning. West Valley then started to chip away slowly at the lead; the Eagles scored in every single inning after the third. By the end of the sixth, the score was 11-9, Bulldogs. An RBI double by Camille Huntley with one out fueled the Eagles’ three-run sixth inning.

Sandpoint had a 12-9 lead heading into the final half-inning, but West Valley’s Halley Kelly hit a double to clear the bases and send the game into extras. The dagger was Stewart’s RBI double in the bottom of the eighth that gave the Eagles the victory.

“We were able to stay in the game despite the free passes and defensive miscues we had. That is the growth we want to see out of your players because we have a lot of the season left to work on everything else. We hit exceptionally well with runners in scoring position, especially with two outs,” Hawkins said.

Sandpoint (0-5) will look for their first win of the season during their first home game versus Lake City on April 11.

WEST VALLEY 13, SANDPOINT 12

Sandpoint 008 021 10

Columbia 002 313 31

H. Vanweeldhuizen, Huntly.; Mayle Ducken and Elizabeth Dysart. W – Stewart. L – Ducken.

HITS: West Valley — Kelly 4, Ingram 3, Stewart 2 Vanweerdhuizen 2, Huntley 2, Tamalo, Tillery. Sandpoint — Dysart 3, Ducken 3, Cessna 3, Knowles 2, Skibitsky 2, Koberstein 2, Lancaster, McCown

2B — Huntley, Stewart, Ingram, Kelly, Tillery, Cessna, Knowles, Koberstein