Wolves stay on top

Elton Goodwin understands the need to be patient during rain delays.

But it was hard for him to contain his emotions when his South Kitsap High School baseball team was forced to wait more than an hour because its game at Gig Harbor didn’t have umpires.

The Wolves’ patience paid off, though.

A seven-run second inning highlighted SK’s 10-3 win Thursday evening as the Wolves remained the lone unbeaten team (5-0) in the Narrows League Bridge Division going into yesterday’s game at Central Kitsap.

Results were unavailable at press time.

SK pitcher Brian Cox improved to 3-0 with the win, surrendering three runs (one earned) on just three hits in six innings.

Eric Deisler went 3-for-3 with two doubles and three RBI, and Cox added four RBI on three hits to lead the Wolves.

SK pounded out 14 hits in the win against Gig Harbor’s hard-throwing ace, Ryan Emmet.

“He threw hard, but he was all over the place,” Goodwin said.

The win at Gig Harbor came 24 hours after SK’s 9-5 come-from-behind victory at home against Olympic. After spotting Olympic a 5-0 lead (four of them unearned) in the first two innings, the Wolves clawed back in the fourth inning with five runs to tie the score.

SK tacked on three runs in the fifth inning, and another in the sixth to pull away from the scrappy Trojans.

Goodwin said Deisler was the player of the game.

After pitching a shaky two innings, Deisler settled down and kept Olympic scoreless through the final five innings.

In the first inning, Deisler had the bases loaded with one out when a comebacker was hit to him. What normally would have been a double-play ball turned into a two-base error when he threw the ball over catcher Josh Ness’s head.

“I could have pulled Eric at that time because I was not happy,” Goodwin said.

“I’m glad the coach let me stay in there,” Deisler said. “I just stayed in it and I knew our team was capable of coming back.”

SK Swinging

a hot stick

Despite a minor setback, confidence is continually growing on the South Kitsap High School fastpitch team.

After an easy 9-0 win at Bremerton Tuesday, the Wolves routed North Kitsap 8-0 Wednesday.

But the role was reversed Thursday when visiting Port Angeles handed SK an 8-3 defeat, and showed it may be the team to beat in the Narrows League Bridge Division.

PA (3-0 league) downed league favorite Central Kitsap just 24 hours earlier. SK (2-1, 4-2 overall) had the tough task of playing three games on three consecutive days.

For SK coach Kathy Ballew, she’ll take two out of three games.

The highlight of the week was the whopping the Wolves laid on a good North Kitsap team.

Although defeating North Kitsap wasn’t a tall order, no one on South Kitsap thought they could tag its ace pitcher, Heather Case, for eight runs.

“Wow, that put me at ease,” Ballew said. “They’re a good team, so I’m really pleased with how we hit. Everyone up and down the lineup is making solid contact.”

The hot hitting isn’t anything new to this year’s squad.

The team is averaging six runs per game through six games.

One of the best offensive stories of this early season is the offensive spark junior catcher Savannah Starkweather is providing.

After struggling with the bat last year, Starkweather is putting up big numbers this year—having hit safely in all six games.

“I’m starting to turn things around,” Starkweather said. “The last two years haven’t been great. I think I was dropping my shoulder a lot and not watching the ball. But the mental thing was the worst part.”

Starkweather has also been on the receiving end of SK’s other strength— its pitching.

Sophomore Brittany Murphy pitched 4 2/3 innings of scoreless ball, giving up just three hits, two walks, and striking out two.

Senior Melissa Ballard relieved Murphy and mowed down the Vikings lineup with four strikeouts in 2 1/3 innings pitched.

SK shortstop Stephanie Mott bashed the Vikings with 5 RBI on two doubles and a single.

Starkweather, who knocked in the other three runs, said she was a little surprised by the lopsided score against North Kitsap.

“I they have four good players, so I wasn’t expecting it to be easy,” she said. “I didn’t expect to beat them by that much. We were just hitting like crazy today.

Against Port Angeles, SK played the game close until PA started pulling away in the later innings.

Centerfielder Cathy Kniess summed up SK’s game against Port Angeles.

“We were not the same team that played North Kitsap,” Kniess said. “Our defense wasn’t there today.”

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