By Matt Phelps
Head coach Dave Gertlar was cautious when talking about the Mercer Island High School fast pitch softball team’s chances early in the season. After all, the team has just three returning players — the majority of the athletes are sophomores and freshmen. Gertlar hoped for steady improvement and stopped short of predicting any wins early.
But during the first week of play, which included four games in five days, the Islanders improved — and then some.
Mercer Island lost 23-0 to Blanchet High School on March 19. On March 21, the team did betterr with a 17-0 loss to 4A Hazen High School. Then, they made a game out of their 11-3 loss against Cedar Park Christian on March 22.
The week culminated with a 6-0 victory over the Roosevelt Rough Riders last Thursday at Homestead Park behind the strong defense and the pitching of sophomore Kelsie Reidy.
“That was really fun,” said Gertlar, after the victory. “This is the best I have ever seen (Reidy) pitch. She didn’t walk one batter. She just threw strikes.”
Reidy earned the complete game, three-hit shut out by getting four strikeouts and not being afraid to rely on the defensive play of her teammates. It was Reidy’s first start of the young season.
“I was just hitting my spots,” said Reidy. “There was just a good vibe out there and our defense played great.”
The infield defense was especially strong, as senior Lauren Asher got her first start at third base and didn’t let a ball get past her.
“We made a couple of moves that really shored up the defense,” said Gertlar. “(Asher) is a great infield leader.”
Despite the seven runs the team put up on the score board, their offense continued to struggle. The Roosevelt starting pitcher walked seven of the first 10 batters she faced.
Mercer Island scored during the first inning with a bases-loaded walk by Morgan Schoenecker. A pop out and two strikeouts ended the Islander rally.
The Islanders’ first base-hit came off the bat of Schoenecker during the second inning following a bases-loaded walk. The hit drove home two runners, as Mercer Island built a 4-0 lead. Schoenecker finished the game 1-for-3 with three RBIs.
“We are creating opportunities to score,” said Gertlar. “Now we just need to take advantage of the opportunities. We kept plugging away and got some clutch hits. But our base running was really good.”
The team took advantage of the Rough Riders’ mistakes with four wild-pitch advances and five stolen bases.
Shortstop Molly Morey was 0-for-2, but had two walks, an RBI and two stolen bases in the game. Morey’s mitt was as busy as her legs, getting four defensive put outs during the game.
During the third inning Asher got a clutch two-strike, two-out hit up the middle to drive in her team’s final two runs of the game.
“I was just trying to hit the ball because I knew that she was throwing strikes,” said Asher. “This just proves that we can win and we need to build off this momentum.”
Roosevelt finally began to hit the ball during the sixth- and seventh-innings. But the defense stepped up behind Reidy. A running catch by Morey ended the sixth inning. The seventh was all defense: a running catch by outfielder Anna Gustorf, a short hop pick by second baseman Kharis Goldman, a speared liner by Asher and a throw to first finished off the Rough Riders’ chances.
“All of these games really showed us what we need to work on the most,” said Reidy. “But our team work is pretty good. We are really playing together.”
The Islanders played Ballard on Monday (after Reporter deadline) and will host Olympic High School at 4 p.m. on Friday at Homestead Park. The big test will start April 4 for the Islanders, as the team will travel to Issaquah for its first 3A KingCo game this season.
