MOSES LAKE — Last weekend, the Washington Rage 18U (2-3) traveled to Carlon Park for their first softball tournament of the summer season. According to head coach Bob Richardson, they are a young team but were able to build chemistry over the course of the weekend.

“Saturday was rough,” Richardson said. “We lost all three games, but being able to come out Sunday and flip it. We started to gel a little bit in the third game, played a little better than we had in the first two games.”

On Saturday, the Rage played three games and lost each of them. In the first two games, they combined for nine errors, according to Richardson. He said the main issue that plagued the team was their youth and inexperience with each other.

In game one, they fell to the PAC Fastpitch 16U team 1-16. In game two, they were shut out by the USA Explosion Yakima 18U team 0-13. In their third game of the day, they lost 3-15 to the NW Elite Bass/Davis 18U team.

“I think it’s them just not knowing if someone’s going to be in that spot,” Richardson said. “They kind of started getting it going in that third game.”

However, on Sunday, the Rage would turn it around and excel in the two games they played. In the first game, they played the Gorge Thunder-Belcher/Bryan 16U team. They would fall behind early and head into the bottom of the fifth inning in a 5-2 deficit.

The Rage would fight their way back into the game and score three runs to tie the game heading into the sixth inning. Strong pitching by Malorie Lane held their opponent to one run. This led them to the bottom of the inning, where they scored two more runs to complete the comeback and win 7-6.

Amaiah Martinez inspired the Rage offense with three stolen bases in the semi-final game, one of which involved a slide under the catcher to steal home. Richardson said a spark began to form in his team.

“When we came back and won the semifinal game, you could just see the confidence grow in everybody,” Richardson said, “(Martinez) is by far the fastest player that I have, and I’ve really been working on her get-offs. She didn’t get caught stealing once.”

With their win, they would advance to the championship game, where they would play the North Idaho Chaos 18U team. By this point, the chemistry across the Rage had improved so much that they held the lead for the entire game.

It was close heading into the fifth inning, the Rage only leading 2-1, but in the bottom of the inning, they erupted for five runs and increased their lead to 7-1. They would hold the Chaos to two more runs before sealing the win with an additional three runs of their own. The Rage rallied in the weekend tournament with a 10-3 win over the Chaos.

“Our pitching was good for the most part, (Lane) did a really good job of making sure the ball was down in the zone, so that things get elevated and hit out. So, she was able to make sure that she kept things down in the zone,” Richardson said.

Richardson attributed their success on Sunday to team chemistry beginning to form and strong defensive efforts. In addition to productive pitching by Lane, the middle field played well, according to Richardson.

“I think the middle of our defense really became the catalyst for playing as well as we did on Sunday,” he said.

Looking ahead, the Rage will prepare for the Cascade Nationals tournament July 9. That tournament will run through July 13. Richardson said it will be a big tournament for them as they continue to build team chemistry.

“That’s four days of softball, some of the best (teams) on the west coast. If we can go over there and get a couple of wins, and make a good showing, I think that will go a long way toward the last four tournaments of the year,” he said.

Note: Bob Richardson is General Manager/Publisher of the Columbia Basin Herald and Basin Business Journal in addition to his work with young athletes in the Washington Rage.

    The Rage pose for a photo after their win on Sunday against the North Idaho Chaos. Head coach Bob Richardson said last weekend was beneficial for building team chemistry.