Things fell apart for the Kentlake High fastpitch team a year ago.
This spring, they’ve come together.
Kentlake (15-1 in league, 19-1 overall) entered Thursday in its customary position, atop the South Puget Sound League North Division standings and staring at another potential league crown. It’s a strong move for the Falcons, who finished fourth last season after winning four-straight SPSL North titles.
The difference this year?
“This year, there aren’t just four people leading the way,” said center fielder Erin Crowley. “I think 1 through 9 hitting wise we are a lot stronger. Last year, things just fell apart. This year, we didn’t come in as the top team. We are just playing how we play.”
And how they play has been just about golden thus far.
In fact, the only blip on the Falcons’ radar this spring has been a 5-2 loss to surging Tahoma on March 24. Kentlake hasn’t lost since, collecting 14 consecutive wins entering the week. The most pivotal — and meaningful — of those wins? A 15-5 drubbing of Tahoma on April 24 in the rematch between the two teams at the top of the North.
The game proved to be the perfect storm for the Falcons, who received a little bit of something from everyone on the roster. Crowley collected three hits, two runs and two RBIs. Alexis Engman added two hits, two runs and four RBIs. Hannah Sauget joined in, ripping a pair of hits and scoring three more runs while Erika Smyth chipped in two hits and an RBI.
While the game was a microcosm of Kentlake’s season, it also showed the team’s depth and versatility.
“Offensively, we don’t have the big bangers that we had in the past,” said Kentlake coach Greg Kaas. “But we have kids top, middle, and at the end of the order who put pressure on the defense.”
Interestingly, the Falcons have come together a year after graduating nine seniors. In a situation when most programs rebuild, the Falcons have simply reloaded. And, in doing so, are on the cusp of winning their fifth league title in six years.
“We need to get through to the end of the league, but the ultimate goal is state,” Crowley said. “We want to get to state so we can prove to everyone that we don’t need all the big names to be successful.”
Of course, the Falcons may already have proven that.
KR GETTING OFFENSIVE
Kentridge may not be among the top three teams in the SPSL North, but there’s plenty of reason to fear the Chargers.
Possibly more reason than any, however, stems from the Kentridge offense, which can score runs with the best of ’em. In fact, the Chargers (11-5 in league) entered the week with more runs scored (116) than any team in the North.
With the playoffs just around the corner, rest assured Kentridge isn’t a team to be taken lightly. Especially considering how well the Chargers can hit the ball. Kentridge has scored 10 or more runs five times this spring, which is more than any other team in the North.
“Our offense comes in bunches,” said Kentridge coach Julie Simonson. “When we start hitting the ball, we hit a lot.”
The Chargers have spread the wealth, too.
Senior Kelli Suguro is currently second in the league in batting average (.565) while teammates Nicole Barger (.409) and Ashleigh Mate (.409) also are among the league leaders. Meanwhile, Natalie Spadafora is among the league leaders in RBIs with 12.
The turning point for the Chargers, however, came on April 22, when they worked over third-place Jefferson 9-3.
“It was a breakthrough game,” noted Simonson. “We got the bats going, the defense going, scored a bunch of runs and we saw what we could do.”
If the Chargers can continue that trend, a prosperous postseason awaits.
NOT YOUR ORDINARY FRESHMAN
The future is bright for the Kentwood High fastpitch team.
But so is the present. Especially at the catching position, an area that could have been a weakness for the Conquerors this spring after graduating Katy Adams and Alex Lucas, who alternated behind the plate last spring.
Instead of weakness, the Conquerors have found strength. Tremendous strength at that as freshman Allison Newcomb has entrenched herself behind the Kentwood dish. However, as good as her defense has been, Newcomb’s bat has been doing most of the talking. The Kentwood freshman entered the week tied for the most home runs in the SPSL North with three.
“There have been times when she has almost killed me with line drives down the third-base line,” said Kentwood coach Jason Wisor. “She just has a really fast bat, great hands and has a lot of pop. She has really stepped up.”
Newcomb, who also played varsity basketball this past winter, could find herself in some pretty impressive territory by season’s end. The last freshman to lead the North in home runs was Kentlake’s Felecia Harris in 2005. Harris now plays at the University of Washington.
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