The Soldotna softball team finished the regular season Saturday with a sweep of Palmer in Northern Lights Conference action at the Soldotna Little League fields.

The Stars improve to 11-1 in the league and 20-6-1 overall after a 16-0 win that went three innings and a 23-1 win that went three innings. All NLC teams now move to the league tournament in Kodiak.

Isabelle Cruz pitched all three scoreless innings for Soldotna in the first game, giving up two hits and no walks while striking out four. Cruz, a senior, eclipsed 200 strikeouts in her career.

“I’m just so proud of her resilience and her determination to go after whatever her eye is on,” SoHi head coach Carly Norvelle said. “She just really amazes me with her maturity and just how she goes after things.

“She’s a wonderful player, and she’s probably our most valuable player.”

At the plate, Tatum Cooper was 2 for 3 with two runs, Isabella Gares was 2 for 3 with three runs, Cruz was 2 for 3 with three runs and two RBIs, Alyssa McDonald had three runs, Kacey Cunningham was 2 for 3 with two runs and Aliya Blough had two RBIs.

The second game showcased another Soldotna senior in Cooper.

Cooper worked all three innings and gave up an unearned run on a hit while walking one and striking out two.

After hitting three home runs Friday against Houston, Cooper hit another in the second game against Palmer and was 5 for 5 with four runs and four RBIs.

Norvelle said Cooper also is very valuable to the team.

“She stepped in pitching. She never was a pitcher,” the coach said. “She’s been doing it this year because she likes it.”

Also in the second game, Cruz was 2 for 4 with two runs and four RBIs, Lilly Dawley was 2 for 2 with two runs and Blough was 2 for 2 with two runs and three RBIs.

Also, Gares had three runs, McDonald had three runs, Cunningham had two runs and two RBIs, Izzy Jones had three runs and Lexi Wells had two runs.

Soldotna honored seniors Wells, Gares, Cooper, McDonald and Cruz on Friday. Managers Alyssa Watson and Alexa Chavez also were honored.

“We’re definitely going to hurt next year without them,” Norvelle said of the seniors. “They were a huge core to our program.”

Palmer coach Rob Meyer was missing two starting pitchers and another starter on this trip to the Kenai Peninsula, which also included two losses to Kenai on Friday.

“Pitching is everything in this league and it’s hard when you’re not throwing strikes and you can’t keep their hitters off balance,” Meyer said. “Props to Soldotna and Kenai.

“They both hit the ball, played great defense and played a great series against us.”

Abby Paddock pitched nearly all the innings in the four games, which happened in less than 24 hours.

“She did great,” Meyer said. “We’re really proud of her. We put a lot on her.”

The coach also said Lizzy McQuillin showed off her athletic ability behind the plate, while some freshmen got varsity experience.

“It was fun to watch them make contact, though they weren’t for big hits or anything like that,” Meyer said. “It was fun to watch them progress and get better.”

Kodiak sweeps Kenai

The Bears dropped the Kardinals to 8-4 in the Northern Lights Conference and 15-13 overall to end the regular season after a Saturday doubleheader at Steve Shearer Memorial Ball Park in Kenai.

Kodiak won the first game 11-2 in five innings.

Lola McEwen gave up 11 runs — seven earned — on eight hits in five innings, walking seven and striking out seven.

The Kards got hits from Avery Ellis, Seylor Tomrdle and Isabel Thomas, with Ellis and Blakeley Jorgensen scoring the runs and Tomrdle collecting the RBI.

The Bears took the second game 11-0 in five innings.

Jorgensen pitched four innings, giving up 11 runs, but just two were earned. The Bears had seven hits, walked six times and struck out eight times.

Kailey Stynsberg, Tomrdle and Kennah Gregory had the hits for Kenai.

Homer 23, Houston 20

The Mariners ended the regular season by snapping a five-game losing streak to move their record to 2-10 in the Northern Lights Conference and 6-18 overall.

The game was tied at 14 after four innings before the Mariners broke things open with seven runs in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Becca Trowbridge worked the first three innings for Homer, giving up eight runs — four earned — on three hits while walking nine and striking out five.

Keagan Niebuhr worked the last four innings, giving up 12 runs on 14 hits while walking four and striking out five.

Homer had 23 hits in the game, with Trowbridge going 6 for 6 with three runs, Amakah Stineff going 4 for 4 with three runs and two RBIs, Niebuhr going 3 for 6 with two runs and two RBIs, and Amanda Toci going 3 for 3 with three RBIs.

Also, Natalie Hinsberger was 2 for 4 with two runs, Almalinda Norman was 2 for 3 with four runs and Ali Gall was 2 for 3 with three runs and three RBIs.

Natalie Farren scored twice for Homer, while Aili Jensen had three runs.

Seniors honored for Homer were Amanda Toci, Katie Hallam, Ainsley Boss-Harmon, Trowbridge and Brazilian foreign exchange student Isadora Torres.

Soldotna’s Lilly Dawley bats against Palmer on Saturday, May 24, 2025, at the Soldotna Little League fields in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

Soldotna celebrates a home run by Tatum Cooper (far right) on Saturday, May 24, 2025, at the Soldotna Little League fields in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

Soldotna’s Aliya Blough gets back to first ahead of the tag of Palmer’s Rylei Doyle on Saturday, May 24, 2025, at the Soldotna Little League fields in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)