Chiefs sweep Hermiston in slowpitch doubleheader
CASEY MCCARTHY | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 years, 8 months AGO
Moses Lake's Madi Olson, right, comes into home plate to score as the Hermiston catcher just misses a throw from the outfield for the tag at home on Tuesday afternoon at Moses Lake High School.
Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald
Moses Lake's Ali Stanley rounds the bases as she heads toward home plate in the first game of the Chiefs' doubleheader at home on Tuesday afternoon against Hermiston.
The Chiefs bench waits for Harley Raymond at home plate after she knocked a home run in the opening game of the season at Moses Lake High School on Tuesday.
Moses Lake's Ciarrah Knoll makes the throw to first base after making the play at second in the first game of the Chiefs softball doubleheader at Moses Lake High School on Tuesday afternoon.
Moses Lake's Harley Raymond fires a shot deep for the home run in the first game of the Chiefs' doubleheader against Hermiston at home on Tuesday afternoon.
HERMISTON, Ore. — Moses Lake slowpitch softball kicked off the season with a sweep of Hermiston in a doubleheader at Moses Lake High School Tuesday. The win puts the Chiefs at 2-0.
The Chiefs took a commanding win in the first game of the afternoon, 18-6. Six runs in the bottom of the first helped Moses Lake jump ahead early, chipping in five more between the second and third.
Hermiston responded with a six-run burst in the top of the fourth inning, only to be met by a seven-run barrage from the Chiefs in the bottom. Harley Raymond, Jaidyn Melby and Maddison Pitts knocked homers for the Chiefs in the opening game. Melby led the Chiefs with four RBIs, while Madi Olson finished 4-4 from the plate with a pair of doubles.
The Chiefs found themselves in a battle in the second game, falling behind 5-1 after the second, but fought their way back to 5-5 heading into the fifth. After both teams traded runs in the sixth inning, Ali Stanley picked up the game-winning hit in the bottom of the seventh to break the tie 7-6.
Stanley finished 4-4 from the plate in the second game, leading the Chiefs with a team-high two RBIs.
Stanley described the feeling at the end of the game as she crossed home plate to her teammates’ cheers.
“It’s crazy,” Stanley said. “It’s a lot of fun.”
Senior Harley Raymond said it felt amazing being back on the field with her teammates.
“I can tell all the girls, we’re all so happy just seeing each other out on the field and being able to play,” she said.
Chiefs head coach Mike Hofheins said he believes his team might have eased up a bit after taking a commanding win in the first game, allowing Hermiston to push them to the last inning.
“You’ve got to give credit to them out there scrapping and fighting,” Hofheins said. “We realized that shouldn’t happen, so that’s a good lesson for us to learn. To the girls’ credit, they fought back and found a way to win in the end. That’s clutch.”
Hermiston played deep in the outfield against the power-hitting Chiefs for much of the two games. Hofheins said they can’t try to hit out of the park on every pitch.
“We don’t have to rely on power,” he said. “Base hits work too.”
The Chiefs hit the road on Thursday to face Hermiston again for the second doubleheader of the revised spring season.
Casey McCarthy can be reached via email at cmccarthy@columbiabasinherald.com.
