The Mariners softball team partnered with Kodiak to participate in The StrikeOut Cancer Games last week. The event not only raised cancer awareness among the players, but also meant some good softball.

Homer and Kodiak played two games, with Homer winning each time.

The first game ended 15-0 with McKi Needham pitching three innings of hitless ball, allowing one Kodiak baserunner on a walk before the Run-Ahead Rule went into effect. Highlights for the Mariners were three hits from Riley Walls, three RBIs from Kelly Liebers and good support from Maggie LaRue.

The second game ended as a 12-4 victory for the Mariners in seven innings. 

The Mariners scored three runs in the sixth on an RBI double by Jordan Raymond and an RBI single by Larsen Fellows.

Kyla Pitzman got on base three times in the game for the Mariners. She scored two runs and had one RBI. She homered in the third inning and singled in the sixth inning.

Kodiak couldn’t get anything going so long as McKi Needham was on the hill.

Needham held Kodiak hitless over 2 2/3 innings, allowed no earned runs, walked two and struck out two.

The Mariners didn’t relinquish the lead after scoring two runs in the first inning when they scored on a groundout by Riley Walls.

The Mariners pushed two runs across in each of the third, fourth and fifth innings. In the third, the Homer Mariners Varsity scored on a solo home run by Pitzman.

The Mariners built upon their lead with two runs in the fifth.

The inning looked promising, as Fellows singled, plating Kayla Stafford to kick things off.

Three runs in the bottom of the fifth helped Kodiak close its deficit to 8-4. An RBI double by D. Catt, a wild pitch, and a walk by J. Pointe gave Kodiak life. Needham ended the inning.

Larsen Fellows, Kayla Stafford and Maggie Larue were the productive hitters with a home run from Kyla Pitzman. 

The win secured the Mariners’ spot as first place in the Northern Lights Conference and a trip to state in Fairbanks on June 5-6 where they will face the number 2 team from the SouthEast Conference.  

“We will be taking 15 players up with us and plan on mounting a competitive and focused team,” said Mariner Head Coach Bill Bell.

Both Varsity and JV squads are travelling to the Valley this weekend to play Wasilla, Colony and Palmer, returning to play Kenai in their conference game on May 26.