SEQUIM — The Olympic Trojans had the bad fortune of playing Sequim on its softball senior night.
The Trojans came into the game tied for third place in the Olympic League, but left with a 28-2 loss to the league-leading and undefeated Wolves (12-0, 13-0).
“I told the girls if they ever played their A-plus game, that’s what would happen. And they played an A-plus game today,” Sequim coach Mike McFarlen said.
“I told them their A-plus game would be batting .500 as a team, and today they batted .650 as a team.”
Sequim had 25 hits in 38 at bats (a team batting average of .658), and reached base on 35 of 48 plate appearances.
With runners in scoring position, they were 18 for 28 (.643 average).
“It was amazing. It’s everything the seniors wanted,” senior center fielder Rylleigh Zbaraschuk said.
“We wanted to dominate the last game. That’s what we told everybody, and they showed up for us today.
“I think we just realized it was like our last anything here, and we decided, ‘You know what, why not? Go for it.’ And we did.”
Zbaraschuk, despite not getting many pitches to hit, had two doubles and drove in six runs.
She came to the plate three times with the bases loaded.
In the bottom of the first, she smacked a bases-clearing double to give the Wolves a 9-0 lead.
She drove in two more runs in the bottom of the second with another double to make it 14-0.
The third time, during Sequim’s 14-run fourth inning, Olympic walked Zbaraschuk to score Tia Bourm from third base.
As has often been the case this season, Olympic was cautious whenever Zbaraschuk stepped to the plate.
“They pitch around her, of course,” McFarlen said.
“She’s a good hitter; I wouldn’t pitch to her, either.”
The Wolves’ other seniors did a lot of damage, as well.
Catcher Bailey Rhodefer was 4 for 5 with four runs and two RBI; shortstop Hannah Grubb had four hits, three runs and drove in a pair of runs; and Columbia Haupt had three hits, three runs and an RBI.
“They’re a huge impact for our team,” McFarlen said of the seniors.
“They’re a big part of why we’re winning. But, the rest of the girls are a big part of why we’re winning, too.”
Indeed, the seniors had plenty of assistance during Friday’s game.
Sophomore MaryLu Clift had two hits, two runs and two RBI, and Melissa Lewis drove in two runs and scored three of her own.
Bourm and McKenzie Bentz both came off the bench to record two hits and score two runs apiece. Bourm added two RBI, and Bentz one.
“Today, we just all were focused,” Rhodefer said. “We all had our heads in it. Our hearts were in it. We all left it on the field.
“I think we’ve slowly been building up to that type of level of play right there. From the beginning of the year, we’ve been doing good and just progressing continually.”
Junior pitcher Makayla Bentz held the Trojans hitless in her two innings on the mound, and Melissa Lewis relieved her and only allowed two hits and a pair of runs in three innings.
After the game, Makayla Bentz grabbed Rhodefer and a ball and went back on the field to throw one more pitch to her long-time catcher on their home field.
“I’m so impressed with the team as a whole,” Rhodefer said.
“I feel like that is a team right there that wants to come together on such an emotional day — our seniors’ last home game. We’ve all grown up together, we’ve all played with each other for years.
“For [us] to come out here and beat that team, which is a good team with good pitchers, 28-2 — that’s insane. That is really crazy. That is powerful stuff.”
Sequim’s big victory caps off a week in which they beat the second-, third- and fourth-place league contenders (Port Angeles, Kingston and Olympic) by a combined score of 48-6.
The Wolves finish the regular season with four road games in four days, beginning with North Mason on Monday.
Olympic (9-8, 9-4) will get a shot at revenge when it hosts Sequim on Wednesday.
Sequim 28, Olympic 2
Olympic 0 0 0 1 1 — 2 2 1
Sequim 9 5 0 14 x — 28 25 0
WP- Makayla Bentz; LP- Bigelow
Pitching Statistics
Olympic: Bigelow 1 1/3IP, 11H, 14ER, 5BB, K; Clark 2 2/3IP, 14H, 13ER, 3BB, K.
Sequim: Bentz 0H, 0R, 2K, BB; Lewis 3IP, 2H, 2R, 3BB, K.
Hitting Statistics
Olympic: Roberts 1-3, RBI; Villalobos 1-1.
Sequim: Zbaraschuk 2-3, 2 2B, 3BB, 3R, 6RBI; Rhodefer 4-5, 4R, 2RBI, SB; Grubb 4-6, 3R, 2RBI; Haupt 3-5, 3R, RBI; Clift 2-2, 2B, 2R, 2RBI; McKenzie Bentz 2-2, 2R, RBI; Bourm 2-3, 2R, 2RBI; Lewis 2-3, 2BB, 3R, 2RBI, SB.
