ROYAL CITY — The Royal Knights (11-6) fell short to the Lynden Christian Lyncs 1-4 and Cedar Park Christian Eagles 3-6 Saturday. Despite the losses, Head Coach Lisa Lawrence said these games were meant to challenge her players.  

“We really try hard to build tough games into our schedule. This (past) weekend was an example of that. Lynden Christian and Cedar Park Christian are both really solid teams in the 1A, so we knew we'd go into some tough games with some good pitching, which we really need to see to help prepare us for the postseason,” she said.  

Game one against the Lyncs was more of a defensive tug-of-war, with neither team giving up a run through the top of the fourth inning. In the bottom of the fourth, the Lyncs struck first with a single run, but the Knights tied it up in the top of the fifth. However, a three-run inning put Lynden Christian ahead, and their defense held Royal scoreless the rest of the way to seal the win.  

In game two, against the Eagles, the Knights fell behind early 5-0. They cut the deficit to three with two runs in the third inning. However, they would only score once more while the Eagles added an additional run to secure the win.  

“Although we lost both games, we competed all the way through, kept improving and started to make adjustments, especially in game two. We've still got some things to work on, but we're seeing steady improvement, which is what I like to see this time of year,” Lawrence said.  

Game one  

While pitching led by Jill Allred was strong, the Knights struggled at bat, Lawrence said. In the bottom of the fourth inning, the Lyncs got home first to take a 1-0 lead. However, the Knights responded in the top of the fifth with a sacrifice bunt by Allred that helped Sarah Bergeson score.  

Despite holding Lynden Christian scoreless in the bottom of the fifth inning, Royal was unable to chip away at the scoreboard. The Lyncs rounded off three runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a 4-1 lead. After holding Royal scoreless in the top of the seventh, they officially secured the win.  

“Defensively we played pretty well, and Jill threw a great game. (We) switched up our strategy, started playing a little bit of small ball as the day went on, and had some success, getting some bumps down and generating a few runs,” Lawrence said. 

From the pitching circle, Allred threw for six innings. In that performance, she allowed four hits and four runs and struck out four batters.  

Bergeson led the team in game one with three total bases, while Emerson Eilers, Evelyn Acencio, Leah Christensen and Allred also got on base once.  

Game two 

The Knights’ second game came against the Eagles. There, Royal fell behind 5-0 through the first two innings. However, the Knights rebounded in the bottom of the third with runs by Aurora Santillan and Eilers to cut their deficit to 5-2.  

The Eagles responded in the top of the fourth inning with a home run to reclaim the momentum. From there, the Knights were only able to score one more run, thanks to Bergeson hitting a double play that got Paige Christensen home. Royal was unsuccessful the rest of the way in the comeback campaign, and the Eagles secured the win.  

Despite the consecutive losses, Lawrence said her team showed improvement from game one to game two.  

“We just started getting the bat on the ball a little bit better, and defensively, we just sharpened up our play a little bit and competed all the way through. The girls never got down when we were down on runs. They kept battling all the way through, which is something I like to see as well,” Lawrence said.  

Allred pitched all seven innings in game two, allowing eight hits and six runs, and struck out five batters.  

Bergeson led the team once again in total bases with three. Avarie Hill, Livi Wardenaar, Eilers and Allred also got on base.  

The Knights now look ahead to their final four games, a pair of doubleheaders. The first is on Tuesday when they host the Connell Eagles starting at 3 p.m. in their final home game of the regular season. On Friday, they wrap up the season on the road against Naches Valley at 3 p.m. 

“We're hoping to bring home four wins in those games. I think the girls are steadily improving. I wouldn't say we're peaking yet, which is fine with me. We've got still a few weeks left before we get to the postseason. I think we're just looking for steady growth, and we're seeing that and just continuing to improve the quality of our play,” Lawrence said.  

BOX SCORE:  

Game one 

ROYL: 0-0-0-0-1-0-0: 1 

LNCR: 0-0-0-1-0-3-X: 4 

Game two 

ROYL: 0-0-2-0-0-1-0: 3 

CPRK: 3-2-0-1-0-0-0: 6 

    Emerson Eilers (3) takes a swing at the ball while at bat for the Royal Knights earlier this season. Eilers scored a run in their game against Cedar Park Christian on Saturday.
  

    The Royal Knights’ Paige Christensen (24) sprints toward first base during their game against Zillah earlier this season. Christensen scored a run against Cedar Park Christian after a double play by Sara Bergeson.
  

    Lizzie Jenks (13) sprints toward third base during the Knights game against Zillah earlier this season.