By Ed Shepherd
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Two good girls fastpitch teams played close a lot of the way before Kennedy Catholic manufactured some hits late, breaking the Lancers away to a win over Highline, 13-1, at Moshier Field in Burien on Wednesday.

Kennedy improved to 9-0 this Seamount League season and 12-0 overall, while the Pirates dropped to 6-2 and 7-3.

"Great all-round team effort," said Josie. "We put pressure on them and our pressure caused them to make mistakes."

The pressure started in the first inning, as the Lancers' Maggie Gallagher led off the game with a triple.Then she stole home, so it was 1-0. Next, Sam Isernio felt the softball hit her body and she walked to first before running to second and third base on steals. Then Nikki MIller hit the ball to third base, but Isernio was running on the hit-and-run play and scored, so that made it 2-0 Lancers, after the first inning.

The Pirates got the bats tracking in the bottom of the third inning, not to mention the feet moving as well, with Jenny Hovland hitting a hard grounder in the hole at shortstop. Maggie Gallagher came up with the ball and made a strong throw to first base, but Hovland beat out the throw, sprinting hard to the bag. A fly out to second was followed by Graciana Mecklenberg with a single, so two runners were on. Then Lauren Gower hit an RBI single to center field, scoring Hovland, and that cut the lead to 2-1 for the Lancers.

"Nice double by Lauren," said Pirates coach Emily Ezpeleta.

The Pirates' pitcher, Nicole Jacobson, was strong through three innings -- only allowing a couple runs -- but rattling herself, too, a bit, perhaps, having hit a batter in the first who later scored. But she settled down from that error quickly, retiring 10 of the next 11 Lancer batters.

So, 2-1, into the top of the fifth, with both Jacobson, solid, and the Lancers' hurler, Lia Conrath, tough on the hill pitching. And, in the Lancers top of five, they would weaken the Pirates, putting on more pressure, as the Pirates put pressure on themselves, too, with an error to open the fifth. A nice scoop of a hit grounder by the Lancers was followed by a high throw from the Pirates from second to first base, where Sienna Herrera stood. She had to jump high to catch that lofty ball and when she left the bag she came down late. And the hard-running Delaney Knox was by the bag. That hurt. What hurt more was the next batter, Gallagher, smashing the ball over the center fielder, scoring Knox, making it 3-1 Lancers.

"I saw the pitch and hit it where it was. I rounded first and second, and saw the ball further out than I thought and so I went to third," said Gallagher. "They did a good job throwing it in, keeping me on third."

So, a nice remark by Gallagher there of the Pirates, saying she would have, likely, had a home run if not for the nice hustle and throw in. So that meant a good throw from the outfield by center field, Hovland, to the cut-off, shortstop, Mecklenburg, for the Pirates. And, good for the Pirates, too, was a nice catch by left fielder, Britney Kinney, of a hard hit ball by Isernio, but, Gallagher scored on the sacrifice, so, 4-1, Lancers, after the fifth.

But, this was kind of an unsettling game for the Pirates after that, as, the Lancers would turn to Josie's coaching acumen to crack this one wide open in the top of the sixth, having a hard time getting too much going, offensively, against Jacobson to that point in the game. Three hits on two sacrifices for their runs, to be precise.

"Two big bunts," said Josie of what would happen next. "We tried to put pressure on them with bunts because Nicole Jacobson was pitching well for them."

So in the sixth for the Lancers, six runs on nine hits came into play as Haley Beebe led off with a walk before Nikki Miller laid down a perfect bunt n the third base line. Next, loading the bases, Haley Kormanik bunted beautifully, too. And, next up, Emily Porter, hit a fly ball for an out to center field, but, it was more than that, a sacrifice, as, Beebe tagged up on third, and, scored, making it, 5-1, Lancers. Then, it was 6-1 on a Knox RBI single, and, from there, things went from bad to worse for the Pirates as Gallagher hit a 3-RBI, triple, to score Miller, Kormanik, Knox, and up the lead to 9-1.

"It was just that one inning, and, we lost it," said Ezpeleta, of her team. "They are a good team, I've got a good group of girls. I think, we only go up from here."

And, after the Lancers tacked on four more runs in their sixth top half for the final score numbers, the game was a half inning later, over, and, since Jose explained Jacobson was solid, why not hear from Ezpeleta.

"She put up a really good fight," said Ezpeleta, of Jacobson, who was teary after the game, adding, "We put up a good fight, but they just put up a better fight."
Really, it's already been explained but it took good coaching to swing this game from close to not close, as, Josie made nice calls for his team from his box inside the third base coaching circle, for those bunts, and, other instructions to hitters--through signs--during the game.

And, with the pressure the Lancers put on the Pirates by hitting the ball, just putting the ball in play, in some cases, like, Knox, a routine grounder, that was followed by a high throw allowing Knox safe at first,it's fair to say, the final score was not, truly, indicative of the competitiveness of this game.

To her Pirates' teammates, first baseman, Herrera, playing first base on that one play, of Knox hit to second, jumping high for ball that led to errors, and, pressure, and, mistakes, after that, she said these words.

"Our players did really well, they just need to stay calm," said Herrera.

It was a good game, competitive, through a lot of it, a one-run game even, more, than halfway through, and, the Pirates rallied a couple times with both scoring one time on a rally and getting runners on base another try. That ability though, by the Lancers, to stay calm when game tightened up, made a difference. And, that state of mind started before the game started, way before, like, during teacher time, so to speak.

"The whole day of school, we were talking to each other, saying, 'Let's bring the energy,' we were pumped," said Isernio, who is only a sophomore but plays strong second base and was very vocal during this game and sitting on Knox lap, too, during her teammates at-bats, cheering.

"We knew they were going to bring it so we had to bring it too," said Gallagher, knowing the Pirates would be a worthy foe.

"You can feel the energy of our team," said Conrath, who allowed only four hits in the game. She struck out only two, which goes to say the Pirates were hitting the ball, but, the Lancers made some good defensive plays that says, too.

"Defense was spot on," said Josie. Two double plays. Delaney Knox made a great catch in left field and throw to second base of runner wandering too far off.

And, then, Sam Isernio, Maggie Gallagher, and, Haley Beebe, turned a 4-6-3, second to shortstop to first, double play."

Josie has been coaching the Lancers for a long time now, 22 seasons, and he's led the Lancers to two state championships in that time and is going for the 10th straight Seamount title, too, now. He mentioned his help for a lot of those years, too.
"Mike Troutman has been with me for 15 of those years," said Josie. "He is my right-hand man. He sets up the game plan for the pitcher with my catcher, Haley Kormanik. Haley does a great job calling the pitches."
So, off a tough first win, for the Lancers, against the Pirates, an 8-7 victory, earlier this season, comes this one, a different score, but the same kind of compliments.

"They are a tough team," said Josie of the Pirates. "They play good defense and they can hit the ball."

And Josie's pitcher, Conrath,a sophomore, was spoken of, too.

"It all started in the circle with Lia," said Josie. "She pitched a great game."
And the season is getting closer now to the end of May when the postseason will begin, so how does Josie think his team can do this season after having made it to districts last season and falling short?

"It's early," said Josie. "But definitely we're coming together. Question is in the circle. If Lia continues to improve her pitching from where she is at now, that much more, there's no telling how far we can go."

Gallagher, a junior, is a captain who was with Isernio and Conrath after the game and she told what she thought about the future of this team going forward this season from here on out.

"I think we can win state," said Gallagher. "But we need to stay strong mentally, and with confidence."

"I have so much trust in my team," said pitcher Conrath. "We just build off it to go harder."

And, Isernio added, "Honestly, if we bring what we brought last year, step it up a little more, we will get where we want to go."

And, of their coach, Josie, these three girls were not at a loss for words on an explanation there.

"He brings so much energy to our team," said Isernio.

"He got emotional after the game today when he was talking to us, we all started crying," said Conrath.

And, the captain, Gallagher said, "He's a father figure for us, a big teddy bear. We all love him."

Ezpeleta, too, has her team's respect, it is noted, they are all listening as she speaks after the game as well as during the game -- much like Josie -- offering words of encouragment as well as pointers to players, like in the batter's box.
"Swing with a level swing, this is not baseball," or, to another girl, in a game earlier this season, "Bounce. Bounce," of a girl trying to get her to break from an early-season slump.

So, both these coaches are strong and both these teams are strong, as the compliments suggest, and pointers, as Josie is right there saying things to his team for all points of the game, too. And, both these teams, made of hard-working, tough-playing, young ladies, should both do well going forward, as the postseason rolls into view next month.