Rangers Drop Two on the Road to Pierce
Olympic College softball came up just short in both games of Saturday's doubleheader at Pierce College, falling 6–5 in the opener and 9–5 in the nightcap.
Game one saw the Rangers rally late, scoring two runs late to nearly erase a 5–3 deficit, highlighted by an RBI double from Abigail Aribal in the 6th and a home run by Madison Kelker in the top of the 7th, but it was not quite enough to complete the comeback. Kelker pitched nearly 5 innings for Olympic, striking out a couple, and Shelby Avery pitched a scoreless last inning and a bit to close out the game.
In game two, the Rangers again made things interesting with a three-run rally in the seventh sparked by an RBI single from Tatem Miller and a two-RBI double from Olivia Pater. However, the early hole was too deep to climb out of after Pierce built a 9–2 lead through the first five innings. Whitehead and Miller split the time in the circle for game two, striking out 6 together.
With the losses, Olympic moves to 11–9 in NWAC North play and 16–19 overall. The Rangers host Edmonds for a midweek doubleheader on Wednesday, May 7. With only 6 games left in the regular season, every wins mean a lot to seeding in the playoffs.
Game 1: Pierce 6, Rangers 5
Offense: 5 runs [Aribal, Pater, Kelker, Garber, Whitehead], 10 hits [Aribal (2), Pater (2)], 2 doubles [Aribal, Pater], 1 HR [Kelker], 4 RBI [Brierly (2)], 4 walks [Aribal, Kelker, Brierly, Whitehead], 1 steal [Aribal].
Defense: 6 IP [Kelker (4.2), Avery (1.1)], 4 earned runs [Kelker], 9 hits allowed [Kelker (8), Avery (1)], 3 strikeouts [Kelker (2), Avery (1)], 5 errors [Pater (3), McBee, Avery].
Game 2: Pierce 9, Rangers 5
Offense: 5 runs [Aribal (2)], 8 hits [Aribal (2), Pater (2), McBee (2)], 4 doubles [Aribal (2)], 1 triple [Garber], 5 RBI [Pater (3)], 2 walks [Kelker, Kauhi], 1 steal [Fajotina].
Defense: 6 IP [Whitehead (3.1), Miller (2.2)], 9 earned runs [Whitehead (1), Miller (8)], 13 hits allowed [Whitehead (4), Miller (9)], 6 strikeouts [Whitehead (2), Miller (4)], 4 errors [Kelker (2), Aribal, McBee].
