Vikings softball opens season against Greyhounds

PALOUSE - The Garfield-Palouse softball team started their spring season with a 16-6 victory against the Pullman Greyhounds junior varsity team, then a heartbreaking 11-10 loss to the Greyhound varsity team.

Both games were played in Pullman on Thursday, April 4.

Garfield-Palouse were able to score eight runs combined in the first two innings against the Greyhounds junior varsity team to take an early 8-1 lead. Garfield-Palouse would add seven runs in the fifth inning to control the game, winning 16-6.

Layla Inman took the mound first for the Vikings. She pitched the first two innings while allowing just one hit. She walked four batters and struck out one in her outing.

Freshman Kaylee Kimble took the mound for an inning, allowing three hits with four walks.

The Vikings totaled 11 hits in the first game, with Kimble leading the way with three. Morgan Lentz and Inman had two hits each, and Kaydence Kivi had one hit.

Both Inman and Kimble recorded a hit in each at-bat taken.

"The first game was loosely labeled a JV game so my youngest players started and they did great," said head coach Rochelle Pedersen.

The Vikings were yet to play any games until the Pullman series due to weather cancellations, as well as spring break.

The second double-header game saw the Vikings and Greyhounds varsity team square off, with the Vikings holding a one-run lead in the bottom of the final inning before Pullman recorded a walk-off hit to win the game 11-10.

"Only one error in each game is fantastic," said Pedersen about the defense played in both games.

The Vikings did not lead in the game until the top of the fourth inning. The game was tied at five in the third before the Greyhounds scored, then, the Vikings led by one heading into the bottom of the fourth and fifth innings.

With the conditions rapidly changing on the field due to wind and weather, the teams played it safe, walking batters to prevent injury, causing the Greyhounds to win the game by one.

Clare Bowechop started on the mound for the Vikings in this game. She walked three total batters in four innings of action.

Garfield-Palouse recorded nine hits in this game, led by three from senior Emma Orfe and two from Inman. Bowechop scored a team-high four runs in the game.

The next game for the Vikings will be played on Thursday, April 11, against Kendrick. The double-header series will be played in Julietta, with game one set to start at 3 p.m., and game two to be played after.