SPORTS: Peninsula College softball team salvages a split with Skagit Valley

PORT ANGELES — Dena Houser’s timing couldn’t have been much better for the Peninsula College softball team.

Peninsula was in danger of getting swept by Skagit Valley in its first NWAACC North Division home doubleheader of the season.

And Pirates head coach Jim Cheney, also a night-shift employee of Nippon Paper, had to get to work.

Houser smacked a two-run single in the bottom of the 10th inning to vault the Pirates to a 10-9 win in Game 2 on Wednesday, salvaging a split after a 7-2 loss in Game 1.

Cheney hurriedly headed for his pickup soon after, due at Nippon some 10 minutes later to begin his shift.

“They are a good team,” Cheney said of Skagit before rushing off in his pickup truck.

Houser’s bases-loaded walkoff line hit capped a crazy extra inning affair that saw Peninsula surrender a two-run lead in top of the seventh before rallying for the win.

“I was just looking to put the ball in play,” said Houser, who was nursing a bruised thumb during the last four innings of Game 2.

“I wasn’t expecting the hit that I got, but it was great. It felt great.”

Freshman starting pitcher Shana Butler was pulled for ace Carly Swingle after walking a runner with two outs and an 8-6 lead in the seventh.

Skagit’s Thayrn Richard then tripled and scored on an infield throwing error one batter later to tie the game at 8-8.

With the international tie-breaker rule in effect in the 10th — putting a runner on second to begin the frame — Skagit scored a run to take a 9-8 lead into the bottom half.

The Pirates (1-1 in North, 2-5 overall) loaded the bases on an error and a Swingle bunt to begin the inning.

Then House smashed a line drive up the middle off Game 1 winner Kayla Ratliff to score Emily Garner and Cimone Trout for the win.

“I knew there was no outs, so I was like ‘Just put the ball in play, hit it hard. There’s nothing more you can do besides that,'” Houser said.

Peninsula catcher Marquita Espinoza was 3-for-6 at the plate with a homer to lead the Pirates in Game 2.

Teammate Michelle Senf was 2-for-4, narrowly missing a home run of her own after her fifth inning single clipped the top half of the outfield fence.

Swingle earned the win, giving up two runs in 3 1/3 innings pitched.

Butler surrendered seven runs in 6 2/3 innings, coming within one out of her first win on the mound.

“I did [want to stay in], but Carly is a really good pitcher,” Butler said.

“The experience, as far as us going to the tie-breaker, I think we needed that. As long as we get the win, that’s what’s most important for our team.

“We share wins, it’s all good.”

It was certainly better than the result from Game 1, a 7-2 loss that saw the Pirates infield commit nine errors.

Swingle was tabbed with the loss in that game, with Laura Campbell’s 2-for-4 day and Colleen Murphy-Carey’s RBI double among the few bright spots.

“That was big for us to be able to hold them and then to be able to come out and bring it back with the bats,” Houser said.

“It was good to get our season started off like that.”

It is, after all, the final season for all 16 players on the Pirates roster.

The college announced it would discontinue its softball program in favor of a girls soccer team last month.

“We all know what’s at stake this season,” Houser said. “We do have some inexperienced players, but it’s a great group of girls.

“We’re trying to go out the best that we can. We want to have a successful season.

“Whether we go to NWAACCs or not, as long as we can have a memorable season together and we’re happy and proud of ourselves at the end of the season, then that’s all that really matters.”

Skagit Valley 7, Peninsula 2

Skagit 1 0 2 0 2 2 0 – 7 4 2

Peninsula 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 2 3 9

WP- Ratliff; LP- Swingle

Pitching Statistics

Peninsula: Swingle 7IP

Hitting Statistics

Skagit: Ratliff 2-4 (HR), Trevelde 2-4.

Peninsula: Campbell 2-4 (2B), Murphy-Carey 2B (RBI).

Peninsula 10, Skagit Valley 9

Skagit 2 0 1 3 0 0 2 0 0 1 – 9 7 3

Peninsula 1 2 2 1 0 2 0 0 0 2 — 10 9 6