The Lady Vikes erupted into flying leap hugs, high fives and cheers as Lindsay Anderson slid home, clinching the win at 3-2. They had battled the Wolverines score for score, coming twice from behind and pushing the game into an extra inning before slipping past Friday Harbor defenders for a stunning victory.
“That game couldn’t have been more electrifying,” said coach Scott Harris. “It’s a good friendly rivalry; we really respect those guys. Obviously we’re very excited. We’re proud of our girls.” The win puts the Vikings in a good position to win the league title as they head into their next five games against lower-ranking Concrete and Darrington.
Instead of swinging for the fences, the team used a “small ball” strategy of bunts and slaps to manufacture runs. Taylor went three for three, with three singles; Anderson went two for three; O’Toole went one for three and Padbury went two for four.
Friday Harbor scored early in the first inning, but pitcher Adria Garcia and the Viking defense put on the pressure and held them back until the Vikes tied it up 1-1 in the bottom of the third, when Alison O’Toole got an RBI to send Lindsay Anderson across home plate.
Friday Harbor edged ahead again, and at the top of the 6th their fastest runner was on third base, poised to widen the lead. But the Vikes weren’t ready to concede and as the Wolverines ran a squeeze play Garcia tagged the runner out, ending the threat.
At the bottom of the 6th, Orcas trailing 2-1, O’Toole led off with a bunt for first base. Emily Bodenhamer laid down a sacrifice bunt to nudge O’Toole to second. And with two outs, Mackie Taylor drove a hard single into right field and O’Toole went flying home to tie the score 2-2.
The 7th inning went scoreless. But at the bottom of the 8th things got really exciting.
“Lindsay was on first. Ali sacrifice bunted to move Lindsay to second, the infield was sucked in tight and nobody was covering third base, so we sent Lindsay. The (Friday Harbor) left fielder came in to cover the base so it was a sprint,” said Harris, whose dugout seat positions him right by third.
After throwing out O’Toole, the Wolverines went for the double-play on Anderson, but Harris said that as Anderson’s foot hit the base, the Wolverine defender dropped the ball on the ground behind the tangle of bodies where Friday Harbor fans and coaches couldn’t see it.
“I could see it plain as day sitting on the ground,” said Harris. Third base coach Jason Nichols called the umpire over to take a look, and Anderson was declared safe, to the uproar of the bewildered Wolverine crowd.
Next up to bat was Lanie Padbury. With two strikes on her, said Harris, “Lanie hit a little blooper that came off the bat a little funny, back-spinning and dropping just short of the first basemen.”
As the Wolverines scrambled for the ball, Anderson sailed over home plate in a cloud of dust for a Viking victory.
Both Viking teams have home games against Concrete on Friday, April 30 at Buck Park. The softball double-header begins at 1 p.m., and baseball game starts at 2:30 p.m.
