Tori Bivens came awfully close to a perfect game on Friday.
The Lake Washington High softball team pumelled Mercer Island 10-0 at Lake Washington High School, winning for the 14th consecutive game and nailing up the fifth shutout of the year.
Bivens pitched a complete five innings for the Kangaroos (14-2 overall, 14-0), striking out nine of 17 batters and allowing one hit without a walk.
The first Mercer Island baserunner reached on an error as Hannah Steele’s flip to Marissa Ewald at first base went high over Ewald’s head. Camryn Steiner singled on the next at-bat, ending Bivens’ no-hit bid.
For Lake Washington coach Traci Tawney, it’s small proof there are still a few kinks for the Kangs to work out.
“I think [we need to] stay up throughout the game no matter the score,” Tawney said. “We got off with a quick inning and it’s easy to sit back and ride that lead out. We need to make sure to stay on the throttle through those 10 runs and staying intense and staying focused.
Elsewhere, the Kangs had few weaknesses. Bivens drove in an RBI single in the bottom of the first, starting a four-run rally that included doubles from Ewald and Steele.
Ewald hit her ninth home run of the season, a solo fly ball to center field, to lead off the bottom of the fourth inning. Ewald has had a terrific few weeks, and is now up to 30 RBIs on the season.
“She goes up and swings hard,” Tawney said. “She doesn’t get cheated, so sometimes she’ll accidentally swing at something in the dirt or something in her eye. But I tell you what, it doesn’t matter the pitch. When she says, ‘swing,’ it’s a full-on swing, so heads up.”
Ewald said she hasn’t changed much throughout the season, and plans to attack the next game — a rivalry showdown at Juanita High School at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, April 2 — the same way.
“It’s going to be tough, but I think we have it under control,” Ewald said of the final game of the series with Juanita. “We’ve played them two other times, and it went our way. I think we can do it again.”
A win on Monday would not only clinch the season series with the Rebels (12-5, 12-3), but would wrap up the No. 1 seed in the upcoming KingCo 3A playoffs.
In the league playoffs, hosted at Woodinville High School on May 12 and 13, the one-seed plays the four-seed and the two-seed plays the three-seed. The winners play one another for the league title, while the losers play one another for the third and final berth in the Sea-King District championships.
