MOSES LAKE – The Moses Lake Mavericks slow-pitch softball team (15-1) split their doubleheader against Eastmont on Thursday afternoon. While they ended the regular season with a loss, they are entering the postseason as the top seed in the Big 9. 

“First game we were solid, second game I think we might have gotten into our heads a little bit, but that’s just the way the game goes,” said Mavs senior Alina Lopez. “It’s a mental game, I would say.” 

The Mavs started off strong in the first inning when Lopez doubled for two runs and Samantha Kling singled for another run, putting the team up 3-0. The Mavs held their opponent to zero runs in the first two innings and in the second inning scored another three runs to extend their lead to 6-0. 

Eastmont would put up four runs in the third inning and the Mavs would respond with an additional eight runs. In the fourth inning, Eastmont scored another four runs with the Mavs scoring one to put the game at 15-8 at the top of the fifth.  

Neither team would score in the fifth, but the Mavs would score in the sixth inning with a double from Hayden Morris scoring one run and a homer from Addi Reffett scoring two to end the game 18-8 in favor of the Mavs.  

Anisa Valdez started on the mound, where she gave up 11 hits and eight runs over six innings, striking out one and walking one.  

“We went into the first game and we were ready to go and played well,” said Mavs head coach Mike Hofheins. “We were executing in all three phases, and the score reflected that.” 

“I think that we played really well as a team offensively and defensively,” said Lopez. 

The Mavs were slower to start in the second game, where Eastmont scored runs in the first three innings with the Mavs scoring none. The Mavs came back to tie the game in the fourth inning, but Eastmont would respond with four runs in both the fifth and sixth innings, putting the score at 13-4.  

In the seventh inning, the Mavs found momentum to respond with four runs, but it would not be enough to win the game, giving the team their first loss of the season. 

“We spotted them too many runs,” said Hofheins. “You can’t spot them that many and then expect to come back. That’s asking a lot to score nine in an inning.” 

He said a positive to take out of the loss is that it shows that there is still room for improvement that the team will work on to be ready for districts.  

“They’re a resilient group, they’re going to come ready to compete,” said Hofheins. “ That’s what makes it fun, is they love competing and they hate losing, and I can see that in their eyes.” 

Lopez said that the greatest strength that the Mavs have shown so far this season is their ability to communicate with one another on the field. During games, the Mavs can feed off of each other’s energy, and because of this, can pick someone up if they get too much in their own head. 

As the Mavs head into the postseason, she said that the team is going to focus on being sharp on both offense and defense and continuing to hone the skills that they excel at. 

“I think that we’re all really excited,” said Lopez. “We all want to win obviously, like every other team, but we’re just eager to get a win and get into the state tournament.” 

The Mavs will once again face off against Eastmont in their first game of the postseason Thursday at 3:30 p.m. 

BOX SCORES:  

GAME ONE 

MLHS: 3-3-8-1-0-3: 18
ESTM: 0-0-4-4-0-0: 8 

GAME TWO 

MLHS: 0-0-0-4-0-0-4: 8
ESTM: 1-3-1-0-4-4-0: 13 

    Lila Johnson from the Mavs throws the ball back toward the diamond from the outfield during Thursday’s game. The Mavs tallied 19 hits in the game with Johnson hitting three of them.
  

    Mavs player Anisa Valdez pitches on the mound during Thursday’s game against Eastmont. Valdez would pitch for the entirety of both games against Eastmont.
  

    Senior player, Hayden Morris, with the Mavs gets ready to make a swing at a pitch from Eastmont. Morris would make five total hits with two runs batted in during the first game.
  

    Ely Vela from the Mavs sprints toward first base during the first game on Thursday. Mavs head coach Mike Hofheins said the team performed solid on all fronts during the first game against Eastmont.
  

    Mavs player Aliana Deleon steps up to bat during Thursday’s matchup against Eastmont. Mavs head coach Mike Hofheins said that the split doubleheader was a good learning moment for the team.