Final Inning Rally Lifts Beavs

Beaverton's softball team faced a tough loss going into the top of the 7th inning against the Spring Valley High School Grizzlies this afternoon in Las Vegas. Having squandered an early 3 - 1 lead, the Beavers trailed 6 - 4 facing their final at bat. As they did yesterday, however, the Beavers' bats came alive at the right time for a huge rally that plated 5 runs and gave the team a 9 - 6 win at Spring Valley.

The Beavers started quickly on offense again, scoring in the top of the first. With two outs, Willow Martinson earned a walk. Kayla Lauro followed by crushing a ball to the left field fence for a double and scoring Martinson all the way from first.

The Grizzlies answered immediately. The lead-off hitter knocked a ball over left fielder Natsuki Horikawa's head, and after the next batter flied out to Hannah Johnson at second, came home on a 4 - 3 groundout. That was it in the first, as Megen Ickler (2-1) struck out the next batter.

Neither team generated much offense in the second, and the Beavers came to bat in the third with the game tied 1 - 1. With two outs, Ruby LaFollette singled to the right side and Martinson and Lauro followed with back-to-back doubles, each earning an RBI.

In the fourth, the Beavers missed a golden scoring opportunity. Horikawa led off the inning with a walk and was moved to second when Sam White hit safely up the middle. Ickler came to the plate with runners on first and second and no outs, but hit a grounder to the shortstop, who forced Horikawa at third. Maddie Evans was next with an infield single to load the bases for the top of the Beaverton order. Johnson hit into a 4 - 6 - 3 double play to end the Beaver threat.

Spring Valley got on the board in a big way in the fourth. After walking the first batter, Ickler gave up three consecutive singles and a series of past balls and wild pitches allowed all four runners to score. Ickler restored order with two strikeouts and a fly out to White, in for Johnson at second. Beaverton found itself on the trailing end of the 5 - 3 score at the end of 4 innings.

Beaverton closed the gap to 5 - 4 in their half of the fifth. LaFollette led off with a single and Martinson followed with her second hit, a single to left field. After Lauro grounded out to third and Senior Victoria Sanchez flied out to first, Horikawa singled to left, scoring LaFollette.

With the game still 5 - 4 going into the sixth inning, the Beavers failed to score and brought in Molly Tyler to finish on the mound. Trying to be at her most intimidating, Tyler beaned the first batter. The next batter laid down a sacrifice bunt, and the Beavers failed to cover third, allowing the runner on first to go all the way to third on the bunt. A pickoff attempt resulted in a Beaverton error, allowing Spring Valley to score its sixth run. After walking a batter, Tyler got a groundout to short and a strikeout to end the inning.

Entering the 7th inning, Beaverton trailed 6 - 4 and was looking at a loss brought on mostly by miscues and unearned runs. However, Spring Valley made a pitching change that - just as with the Desert Oasis game yesterday - seemed to eventually work in the Beavers' favor. Martinson led off the inning and was grazed by a 2 - 2 pitch and sent to first. Lauro walked and Sanchez reached on a fielder's choice as Martinson was forced out at third. The Beavers needed runs, not outs, and they were about to get them. With one out and runners on first and second, Horikawa laid down a perfect bunt to load the bases. Sam White stepped to the plate and delivered an 0 - 1 pitch down the line in right field for a double, scoring pinch runner Megan John from third and Sanchez from second. The score now tied, the Beavers had one out and runners on second and third. After a strikeout, Maddie Evans came to the plate and laced the first pitch to deep right field for a triple, scoring Horikawa and White. An ill-considered attempt to throw Evans out at third led to an overthrow, allowing Evans to come home with the Beavers' ninth and final run.

All that was now necessary was for Tyler to shut down the Grizzlies, and she did her job, giving up a single base on balls and striking out two in the 7th to end the game. Tyler (1-0) and Ickler combined for a six hitter, and struck out 10.

The Beavers end their Las Vegas Spring Break schedule tomorrow with a game at Shadow Ridge High School.