Lady Vikings go unbeaten at NWAACC tourney
Erika Hanson was one of two pitchers who combined to keep the opposition in check this weekend as the Big Bend Lady Vikings softball team went unbeaten in Richland.
RICHLAND - It may be time to take the Lady Vikings of Big Bend seriously.
This weekend, they traveled to Richland for a Northwest Athletic Association of Community College (NWAACC) pre-season softball tournament and came away with an impressive 4-0 mark to bump their season record to 7-3.
Put in perspective, all of last season Big Bend won eight games, albeit playing a competitive brand of softball.
"Our goal was to go 4 - 0 this weekend, and it was great to see this team reach that goal," Big Bend head coach Jeremy Iverson said. "Hopefully we can build on this as we move forward into league play this weekend."
On Friday, Big Bend defeated Shoreline 8-6 and Douglas College 6-3.
Against Shoreline, Bailey Ritchie (Moses Lake High School) and Kalli Heller both went 2-for-4 with a single and a triple apiece. Kendra Schwulst went 1-for-2 with a homerun and the winning pitcher was Erika Hanson who allowed seven hits and five earned runs with striking out six strikeouts.
Their second outing on Friday, Big Bend saw Ritchie got 2-for-3 as did Kalli Heller, Lauren Sams, and Hirschi, who hit a double and a home run.
From the bump, Shantel McCashland earned with win as she scattered eight hits around five strikeouts while allowing three earned runs.
In Saturday's sweep of the action, Big Bend beat Chemeketa 2-0 as Schwulst went 2-for-2 with two doubles in a pitchers' dual. McCashland took the decision with seven strikeouts during an impressive three-hit, shutout.
The Lady Vikings continued their run to an unbeaten two days of play with another pitching gem in a 1-0 win in eight innings.
Heller clinched the win with a game-winning double in the bottom of the eighth, driving in Hanson.
McCashland and Hanson combined for a six-hitter.
"These kids stepped up when they needed to and they kept their focus even in tough situations which was great to see," Iverson said. "Having a few close games in the pre-season is great experience moving forward. As always we need to keep our focus and keep working hard."