A big third inning showing propelled the Homer Mariners softball team to a dominant 18-3 victory over Kenai Central Tuesday in Homer.
Homer led 18-3 heading to the bottom of the third frame, and forced the game to end early with a mercy ruling after bringing home 10 runs. Overall, the Mariners out hit the Kardinals 7-3, but Kenai suffered three errors.
Kenai dropped to 2-2 overall and in the Northern Lights Conference with the loss. Homer improved to 3-3 overall and 2-0 in the NLC.
Kenai quickly grabbed a 2-0 lead at the top of the first inning, but Homer countered with four runs in the bottom of the inning. The Mariners then added four more in the bottom of the second before their massive third outing.
McKi Needham led Homer with 2-for-2 hitting, three RBIs and three runs scored. Mary Hana Bowe also batted in three runs and Riley Walls touched home three times.
Needham pitched a complete game for Homer, striking out five while giving up two earned runs on three hits, and walked no one.
A Juneau weekend
Varsity softball played four non-conference games in Juneau on April 28 and 29. Eight games were scheduled for the weekend, but Saturday’s rain cancelled the final four.
The Juneau game ended early as a result of run-rule, which ends the game if one team is far ahead in score from the other. Poor weather conditions ended the Thunder Mountain game in the third inning.
Softball will travel to Anchorage on Friday, to play non-conference games against East Anchorage and Colony, followed by Bartlett and a to-be-decided opponent on Saturday, May 7.
Homer lost to both Sitka and Thunder Mountain, finishing 5-4 against Sitka and 3-11 against Thunder Mountain. The Thunder Mountain game ended in the third inning.
Izabelle Hagge and Malina Fellows brought in two runs each during the Sitka game.
The Mariners beat Ketchikan with a final score of 9-7 on Thursday, April 28, but lost later that day to Juneau-Douglas, 5-17.
During the Ketchikan game, Homer stayed scoreless until the fourth inning, when their first game point brought the score 4-1, Ketchikan. However, six runs in the sixth inning gave Homer at 7-6 lead. Finally, two runs to Ketchikan’s one in the seventh inning brought Homer the win. Annali Metz, Kelly Liebers and Isabel Beach each supplied Homer with three runs, for a total of nine.
Homer started the Juneau-Douglas game with two runs to Juneau’s five in the first inning. Juneau continued to score high in each inning and the game ended in the fourth inning. Beach brought in three of Homer’s five runs.
Homer News reporter Anna Frost contributed to this story.
