The Sandpoint High School softball team may have come out victorious in its scrimmage against Bonners Ferry 18-15 at Sandpoint Middle School, but the objective was to just get better.

“I saw a lot of great things today,” Sandpoint High School softball coach Elizabeth Hawkins-Williams said. “We had a lot of young players on the field today and they looked sharp.”

Hawkins-Williams has been doing the summer scrimmage series for eight years.

“We love it,” Hawkins-Williams said. “We just go around to all the schools in the area to see who’s willing to come out and play against us. It’s an exciting experience to watch the growth of the younger players.”

The scrimmages are designed for players who are between seventh and 12th grade, with each player in the lineup getting an opportunity to play.

They also limit teams to five runs per inning to help out the young pitchers.

The young pitching staff for the Bulldogs shined during the scrimmage with multiple youngsters throwing out heaters.

“I was really happy with our pitching today,” Hawkins-Williams said. “When young players go out and do well, it quadruples their confidence, so this process more than anything prepares them for high school.”

Upcoming freshman, Cadence Skibitsky finished the scrimmage with three K’s and one earned run.

Mayle Ducken, an upcoming senior, was also effective on the mound. She was a hard thrower during the regular season, but on Thursday, it was evident she’s already been working to throw harder in 2023. She finished the game with four strikeouts and zero earned runs.

Of course, with the 18 scored runs, the bats were also hot for the Bulldogs.

“It’s always exciting to see the young girls go up against varsity-level pitching,” Hawkins-Williams said. “The younger group always gets me excited the most and this group has a lot of drive.”

Sophomore Ainsley Hull finished 2-for-2 with three RBI.

Senior Ashlyn Darling capped off the scrimmage 3-for-3 with a triple and one RBI.

“Tonight was the best we’ve hit; they were ready today,” Hawkins-Williams said. “We hit the ball hard today and everyone was putting the ball in play.”

The Bulldogs will next scrimmage against Priest River High School at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 6 at Sandpoint Middle School.