The South Whidbey Falcons ventured north to meet our Vikings in a non-league contest at Buck Park on Tuesday. Still wincing from close losses in Friday Harbor, the Orcas ladies had no intentions of allowing another game to slip through their mitts. Battling under pressure has been a focus of Coach Scott Harris and his Vikings executed perfectly with an exciting seventh inning victory.

In their first meeting of the season, the Vikings worked through early game jitters, giving up a 0-2 lead by the second inning. But as pitcher Aliviah Garcia dialed in the strike zone, Bella Nigretto startled the entire crowd with the crack of a giant home run hit well over the imaginary fence. However, with Viking hits quiet again, the Falcons circulated one more run, making the Falcon lead 1-3 by the sixth inning. The pressure was on. With Sofie Clure Thixton on base with a walk, Lana Bronn confidently eyed the perfect pitch and pounded the blurry yellow ball to deep right center for a 2 RBI home run, tying the game 3-3 going into the seventh inning. Game on.

Strong pitching by Garcia and a key fouled pop fly nabbed by catcher by Alicia Jo Susol in the top of the seventh inning sent the Falcons back to defense. Kirsten Fowler’s keen eye sent her to first base on a walk with pinch runner Huxley Smart taking her place and eventually stealing second base. Kathryn Tidwell placed a perfect sacrifice bunt to get Smart to third base. Acting on an errant Falcon pitch, Smart instinctively sprinted and launched herself into a full dive toward home plate, earning the Viking win in a dramatic cloud of dust.

Coach Harris said after the game, “Clutch; we pitched under pressure, hit under pressure, ran bases under pressure and we played tight all seven innings.”

Vikings next host LaConner this Thurday for a doubleheader.