Weekend softball: Palmer sweeps Kenai, Kodiak sweeps Homer

Defense cost the Palmer softball team its opening game of the season, but defense won the Moose their second game of the season Friday at Steve Shearer Memorial Ball Park in Kenai.

The Moose defeated Kenai Central 20-9 in nonconference action. The game went three innings before reaching the time limit of 1.5 hours.

Palmer (2-1 overall) also defeated the Kards (0-6 overall) 20-13 on Saturday.

Friday, Palmer outhit Kenai 13-8, while the Kardinals walked seven times to the six of the Moose. The real difference came on defense, where Kenai made five errors that led to 13 runs, while the Moose had a single error that led to one run.

Moose head coach David Sutton said the team played a lot better than in a 20-1 loss at Homer on Thursday.

“Against Homer, we had quite a few errors,” Sutton said. “They were just better defensively.”

Winter weather in the Valley has meant Palmer was spending just its sixth day on a real field Friday. Sutton, who has been coaching the Moose for five years, expected a tough battle from the Kards — a program he respects.

“It was a big step forward for our team and a confidence builder for our program,” Sutton said.

Kenai had a 2-1 lead after the first inning, but Palmer put up 12 runs in the second inning. If not for errors, the Kardinals could have gotten out of the inning yielding just one run.

“We had one super bad inning,” Kenai head coach John Manley said. “We made some bad throws. That’s uncharacteristic of what we’ve been doing.”

That one inning would be enough to decide the game as Palmer pitcher Janie Besse and catcher Rosie Evans were able to keep the Kardinals from ever threatening to eat up the big lead.

Sutton said the early season can be tough for pitchers because technique is not dialed in yet, leading to fatigue. The coach gave his pitcher credit for staying mentally tough. She stranded seven runners in just three innings. Evans, just a freshman, impressed by catching for both the JV and varsity games.

Also playing strong on defense, according to Sutton, were second baseman Dani Farley and first baseman Alexis Calvert.

For Kenai, Manley was happy with the way Lexi Reis pitched.

“We still walked too many,” he said. “Each game, she gets better and better, and I’m happy with that.”

The Kards also continue to improve on offense, stringing together four straight hits in the third inning.

Abby Every was 2 for 2 with two RBIs, while Nereid Phillips was 2 for 3 with two RBIs. Kylen Lakshas had a double and three runs, Andie Galloway had a double and two runs, Zaharah Wilshusen had two runs, and Reis was 1 for 1 with two RBIs.

“This is a young team,” Manley said. “If they stay together and keep working, I know they’ll be good. I’m not sure if it will happen this year or next year.”

For Palmer, Rachel Farley was 4 for 4 with two runs and two RBIs, while Evans was 3 for 4 with two runs and two RBIs. Also for the Moose, Kelsey Giese was 2 for 3 with three runs, Carrie McQuillin was 2 for 2 with four runs and an RBI, Aria Beames had two RBIs, Zoe Patton-Meyer had three runs and Dani Farley and Besse each had two runs.

Saturday was a similar story. Manley said Palmer hit even better than Friday.

The coach said Reis pitched again and continued to improve. Manley said Phillips had a few good hits and some nice catches in the outfield, while Wilshusen, Lakshas and Galloway also had some nice hits.

Kodiak 16, Homer 4

The Mariners dropped a Northern Lights Conference contest Friday in Homer, dropping to 5-5 this season.

Homer scored a run in each of the first two innings to take a 2-0 edge, but the Bears rallied back with four runs in the top of the third, then tacked on five in the fifth to grab a daunting 10-2 lead.

Becca Chapman led the Homer bats with a 2-for-3 day and two RBIs, while Kaitlyn Johnson went 2 for 3 with one RBI and Grace Godfrey went 2 for 4 with a double.

Annalyn Brown lasted 4 2-3 innings before making her exit, giving up nine runs (three earned) on six hits and five walks. Brown struck out eight.

Zoe Adkins finished the game in relief, giving up up seven runs on five hits and three walks in 1 1-3 frames, striking out two.

Godfrey had a one-out double in the first inning, then scored on an RBI single by Johnson to give Homer the lead.

Dellah Harris singled in a run in the second inning for a 2-0 Homer lead, but it wouldn’t last long. Kodiak tied the game on a passed ball by Brown, then took a 4-2 lead on a two-run double.

Kodiak 9, Homer 6

The Bears dropped the host Mariners to 5-6 overall by sweeping the Northern Lights Conference series.

Kodiak was able to put its nose out front the whole way, leading 3-1 after one, 4-1 after two, 7-2 after three, 7-3 after four, 9-4 after five and 9-6 after six.

The Mariners used three pitchers. Annalynn Brown went the first inning and gave up three runs (one earned) while yielding a hit and four walks. Becca Chapman also worked an inning, giving up four runs on two hits while walking three.

Zoe Adkins pitched the final four innings, giving up just an unearned run on three hits while whiffing four and walking three.

Grace Godfrey led the way at the plate, going 2 for 2 with three runs and an RBI while also walking twice.