Mavs sweep softball doubleheader

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Mavericks (6-1) swept the Eisenhower Cadets in a doubleheader 19-0 and 25-5, Friday. Head Coach Mike Hofheins was complimentary of his players focus throughout the afternoon.  

“Those are always hard because you get a big lead, it's sometimes hard to focus. But I thought they did a pretty good job of just staying locked in on what we need to do and not really worried about the opponent,” he said.  

The Mavericks were dominant on both fronts, earning both wins in five innings. In game one, Caitlin Decubber pitched all five innings, striking out 10 batters. The Mavs put up all 19 points in the first two innings and held the lead the rest of the way. In game two, Moses Lake dug their heels in as they jumped out to a significant lead in the first couple of innings. From there, they held Eisenhower to five runs as they built their lead to another five-inning win.  

“They're competitors, which just makes them fun to coach,” Hofheins said.  

The Mavericks jumped ahead early after a 10-run first inning over Eisenhower. Samantha Kling, Amilia Borchert, Avanie Avalos, Aliana Deleon, Avery Getzinger, Lila Johnson and Clair Michelbook got home. Starting off their hot streak was Hayden Morris with a home run to left field.  

After holding the Cadets scoreless, the Mavericks added to their 10-0 lead with a nine run inning. From there, they held Eisenhower scoreless and sealed the win in five innings. By the end, multiple players finished the game with at least two runs.  

Morris, Kling, Michelbook, Borchert and Avalos all contributed to the Mavericks score on several occasions. Getzinger also hit a home run to add to the Mavs lead. Borchert led the team with four RBIs.  

Game two provided much of the same for the Mavericks, as they jumped out to another lead. They took a 7-3 lead after two innings. From there, Moses Lake outscored the Cadets 18-2 from the third to fifth innings to seal the win. 

Just about everyone from the Mavericks dugout get home in their second win of the afternoon. Leading the team in runs were Alina Lopez and Decubber with four. Not far behind was Morris and Charly Walker with three runs.  

Hitting more home runs were Lopez, Getzinger and Morris, who added two to her three total for the doubleheader.  

Avalos took over the pitching duties in game two, pitching all five and striking out seven batters. After a strong day of pitching, Hofheins is happy to see how they have come along this season.  

“They're starting to realize they have a pretty good defense behind them. When you make a good pitch and they have weak contact, you can make those defensive plays. We played clean and strung a bunch of hits together and for power and pitched well,” he said.  

With each game, MLHS aims for consistent improvement, Hofheins said. When they find themselves with substantial leads, they have been mindful not to become complacent.  

“They enjoy getting better at practice, and they take pride in it. It's been super good because you have a handful of freshmen that are in the mix in a big way, and they're kind of just following along...that's been pretty cool to see,” Hofheins said.  

Moses Lake heads into spring break next week ready for a break. This will provide the players with an opportunity to rest and recover before resuming the season April 15 when they hit the road to play Jackson High School at 4:30 p.m. 

Once they return to the field, Hofheins and the Mavericks are going to be eager to finish the season strong.  

“We're dinged up a little bit, so spring break will be kind of good for us. I kind of called it almost like our preseason phase. Now we'll get into phase two in April. After spring break gets to be a little bit of a grind, we (start to) see some better teams, and I think they're excited for the opportunity to keep improving and seeing some better teams down the road,” Hofheins said.  

BOX SCORES:  

Game one 

ESHW: 0-0-0-0-0: 0
MLHS: 10-9-0-0-0: 19  

Game two  

ESHW: 3-0-2-0-0: 5
MLHS: 2-5-5-9-4: 25

    Samantha Kling (4) eyes the pitcher while at bat for the Mavericks Friday against Eisenhower.
  

    Avery Getzinger (15) takes a step off third before the next pitch against Eisenhower Friday.
  

    Alina Lopez (20) takes her next swing at bat for the Mavericks. Lopez recorded a home run in their doubleheader win Friday, one of six recorded by the team.