Every sports season is a journey in some form or fashion.
On a picturesque Friday evening in Anchorage, Eagle River added more mileage to its travels by closing strong. In comparison, its opponent has barely moved at this point.
The trio of Emily Larson, Emma Lento and Skylar Maroney combined for seven of the Wolves’ 11 hits in a closer-than-one-could-imagine 23-10 Cook Inlet Conference softball victory over West at the Albrecht Complex.
Brilliant sunshine and a brisk breeze met both teams for Eagle River’s 14th scheduled game to only the Eagles’ second.
Photo by Matt Nevala/Alaska Sports Report
West dropped a 16-1 decision to South in another game later Friday and fell to 0-3 overall and 0-2 in the league. Meanwhile, Eagle River made an early tournament visit to Kodiak at the start of April and used its CIC win to improve to 7-6-1, 2-2.
“Getting on the field early, getting on the (Kodiak) turf was really good for us,” said Lento, a sweet-swinging lefty senior. “We got used to some of the hops (that come with playing).”
Eagle River put that momentum to good use and knocked off East in the CIC opener for both teams earlier in the week. The Wolves then lost to Dimond and Service.
“My freshman year, we had a JV and a varsity, and now we just have a varsity,” Lento said. “We have a young team, and a lot of girls haven’t really played before. So having all the hits tonight was a little surprising.
“We haven’t performed like that in a while.”
Eagle River pounded out 10 of its hits in the first three innings and amassed 11 runs. The game ended after four innings when time ran out.
Photo by Matt Nevala/Alaska Sports Report
Lento plated a pair of runs in the bottom of the third with a stinging double to the right-center field gap. Larson and Maroney also singled in the third. Lento signed to play with NCAA Division III Macalester College (St. Paul, Minn.) in March and put that classic left-handed swing on display quite beautifully.
“I like having a lot of different options at the plate,” she said. “I can slap, bunt or hit. I kind of like how everyone on defense shifts specifically for a lefty, and it doesn’t always execute the way they want it to.”
West struggled with numbers earlier in the week, leading to a pair of postponements. But the Eagles also have some bop in their bats, collecting eight hits. The game got out of hand when pitching troubles led to 12 Eagle River runs in the top of the fourth.
Photo by Matt Nevala/Alaska Sports Report
Eagles senior center fielder Hazel Allen’s bases-clearing triple in the bottom of the third made things quite interesting. Eagle River only led 11-10 going to the fourth. West junior Delaney Benavides paced her team’s offense with a pair of hits.
Owner of a talented arm, West freshman Olivia Byrd turned in the night’s most entertaining performance behind the plate for the first time. She made several grunts, groans and giggles as the Eagles’ catcher.
“Not going to lie, I didn’t think it would be too fun squatting for 90 minutes,” Byrd said. “But it was. Trying something new always is.”
Plus, Byrd said she got to show off her gun as she flexed her right arm.
The CIC softball regular season runs until May 23. The Division I state tournament begins June 2 in Fairbanks.
South (5-0, 3-0) is the defending state champ.