CHIMACUM — With wind gusts of up to 40 MPH and dust drifting in clouds across the diamond for much of the game, Chimacum rallied for a 16-12 nonleague softball victory against Quilcene.
Trailing for much of the shortened, five-inning contest, the Cowboys overcame the elements and a three-run deficit to earn the win Friday.
The Rangers’ slugger Sammy Rae hit a moon shot of a home run just over the temporary fence in center field to put Quilcene up 12-9 heading to the bottom of the fifth inning.
Rae, who doubles as the Rangers’ top pitcher, was winded to open the bottom of the fifth, hitting Taylor Carthum with a pitch and allowing a single to Kiersten Snyder.
Chimacum’s Ryley Eldridge hit a high pop fly to shallow right field, but the breeze kicked up and blew the ball away from the Quilcene defense and in for a hit to load the bases.
Shanya Nesbitt then rapped a two-run single to tie the game, her third hit and sixth RBIs of the contest.
Twin sister Mechelle Nesbitt then followed with an RBI double down the left-field line to score the game’s winning run.
Later, the Cowboys’ Lauren Montgomery and Bradyn Nelson each came up with RBI singles, Nelson’s driving home the final two runs of the game.
Quilcene coach Mark Thompson then decided to call the game with the Rangers unwilling to bring in a relief pitcher and the skies threatening a downpour.
“We had our number three [pitcher available], but for crying out loud, this game should have been called in the first inning,” Thompson said.
“I’m not going to feed my number three pitcher to these guys. I would have pitched our number two if we had her. But Samantha had thrown too many pitches, so it was done.”
A strange, and short end to a crazy game.
“It was wild,” Chimacum coach J.R. Roberts said.
“The weather and the game.”
“We were down all game and there was a couple of innings where the girls seemed like they were in the dumps.
“But the fight that we showed today should be an example for every game from here on out.”
Nelson started the game for the Cowboys walking four, including Quilcene’s first run, and striking out three during the worst of the weather.
Chimacum took the lead in their first at-bat, with Lauren Montgomery lacing a triple down the right-field line to put the Cowboys up 4-1.
Nelson allowed seven walks in an inning of work, leaving the bases loaded for Chimacum ace Ryley Eldridge.
Eldridge came on with no warm up, walking two batters and surrendering a three-run triple to Rae, then tossing a wild pitch, another walk and a fielders choice as Quilcene put together a seven-run second inning to lead 8-4.
“I put in Ryley in way too early,” Roberts said.
“That’s my fault they scored that many runs. I didn’t give her the proper warm up.
“She fought through it, we all fought through it.”
The Cowboys chipped away, with Shanya Nesbitt hitting a two-run double in the bottom of the second and Carthum an RBI double in the third to trail 8-7.
Mechelle Nesbitt provided the game’s best defensive play in the top of the third, with a perfect throw from her catcher’s position to second base to nail a prospective Rangers’ baserunner.
“Just lots of practice there,” Nesbitt said.
“I knew with the wind I had to keep it really low or it would go into the outfield.”
Eldridge walked three in the top of the fourth and gave up a three-run double to Alexis Gray as the Rangers went up 11-7.
Mechelle Nesbitt pulled Chimacum closer with an RBI single, later scoring on a ground out as Chimacum trailed 11-9.
Rae then hit her fourth home run of the year before Chimacum’s rally.
“I can’t begin to say how proud I am of the team,” Roberts said.
“Rae’s probably the toughest pitcher we’ve faced and we had a really good day hitting.
“It’s hard to think of them as a [Class 1]B team, they are good.”
Thompson was upbeat despite the defeat.
“I thought offensively we played well and defensively we made some mistakes that a team like that will make you pay for,” he said.
“They taught us some things that we need to work on, but that’s why we came up here to face a team that’s better than us.”
“We competed but we just made too many mistakes.”
The two schools will play another nonleague game, this time in Quilcene, on May 13.
Chimacum (1-0, 3-2) hosts Class 2A Olympic (2-1, 4-2) on Tuesday.
Quilcene (1-0, 5-1) hosts Rainier Christian (0-0) on Tuesday.
Chimacum 16, Quilcene 12,
5 innings
Quilcene 1 7 0 3 1 — 12 4 2
Chimacum 4 2 1 2 7 — 16 11 0
WP- Ryley Eldridge; LP- Sammy Rae
Pitching Statistics
Quilcene: Rae 4 2/3 IP, 11 H, 4 K, 5 BB, 2 HBP
Chimacum: Bradyn Nelson 1 IP, 4 R, 3 K, 7 BB; Eldridge 4 IP, 4 H, K, 6 BB, 8 R.
Hitting Statistics
Quilcene: Rae 2-4, HR, 3B, 4 RBI; Alexis Gray 2B,, 3 RBI.
Chimacum: Shanya Nesbitt 3-3, 2B, 6 RBI; Taylor Carthum 2-2, 2B, RBI, BB, HBP; Mechelle Nesbitt 2-3 2B, 2 RBI; Lauren Montgomery 2-3, 3B, 3 RBI; Eldridge 2B.
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Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-452-2345, ext. 5250 or at mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.