QUINCY — The Ephrata Tigers softball team used strong hitting and strong pitching to gain wins over the Quincy Jackrabbits, 23-0 and 21-2, in a doubleheader Tuesday at Quincy High School.

Ephrata head coach Heather Wood said the Tigers have been hitting well all season.

“I was looking at our team batting average, and our batting average is about .458, somewhere in there,” Wood said. “We’re seeing the ball, making contact — solid contact. We saw the ball really well.”

Ephrata’s Kaydence Hector drove in six runs in the first game on three hits, batting in three runs on a homer in the first inning. Later in the inning, Hector stole home. 

The Tigers had 18 hits in the first game. Addy Gray had four hits in five at-bats in the game. The Tigers also benefited from some aggressive baserunning, stealing four bases including Hector’s steal of home. 

“Our first pitcher, Lexi Durfee, had a great performance,” Wood said.

Durfee gave up three hits and no runs.

Quincy Coach Pauline Baughman said a doubleheader with Ephrata was a chance to experiment, especially in the outfield.

“I asked my outfield to take risks,” Baughman wrote in answer to emailed questions from the Columbia Basin Herald. “It was a non-league game and I wanted to use it to make defensive plays that are not always safe choices. Errors on the side of aggression are acceptable and can be building moments.”

The Jacks took a 2-0 lead in the second game, with Myka Hinojosa stealing home for the second run. Ephrata took the lead in the top of the second when Kendall Laugen hit an inside-the-park home run that scored three and gave the Tigers a 4-2 lead. Dakota Durfee hit a two-run homer in the third inning. Peyton Trautman homered in the fifth, when the Tigers scored eight runs. Olivia Bicondova was the winning pitcher.

“Olive pitched really well at the end,” Wood said. “She got in her groove and was doing well.”

Baughman wrote that she saw some encouraging things at the plate, but the baserunning still needs some work.

“Offensively our team had some bright moments, but we were unable to string those moments together,” she wrote. “We found many of our hits being turned into routine plays. Alternatively, our baserunning cost us some momentum that we gained at various times. Those mistakes held us back from our ability to score runs.”

Wood said it’s been a good season for the Tigers.

“We honestly have been playing well all season long,” Wood said.

The Tigers have two conference doubleheaders left in the regular season, both at home, against Othello and Prosser. Wood said Ephrata will be battling for the league title, and their chances will depend on their response to the challenge.

“It’s just going to take us focusing on what we need to work on and build on that. So coming together as a team, making sure we stay gelled together and play our level of game,” Wood said.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com. 

Game 1

Ephrata: 15-3-5 -x-x-x-x 23
Quincy: 0-0-0-x-x-x-x 0

Game 2:

Ephrata: 0-4-3-5-9-x-x 21
Quincy:  2-0-0-0-0-x-x 2

    Genesis Hinojosa delivers the pitch for Quincy in Tuesday’s game against Ephrata.
  

    Ephrata’s Dakota Durfee hauls in the fly ball.
  

    Quincy’s Myka Hinojosa swings at the pitch in Tuesday’s doubleheader against Ephrata.
  

    Olivia Bicondova heads for home in Ephrata’s win over Quincy Tuesday.