Raiders Sweep Cardinals

The Pierce Raiders earned their first two wins of the season as they defeated the Skagit Valley Cardinals at home on Tuesday evening.

The Raiders fell behind early in game one as the Cardinals scored four runs in the top of the first inning, but added a run of their own in the bottom half of the inning off as Ava Lewis walked and stole two bases, putting her on third base for Vivian Watts. Watts singled, scoring Lewis and making the score 4-1. Skagit Valley added another run in the top of the fifth inning changing the score to 5-1, but the Raiders answered back in a big way, scoring eight runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Bryce Lindenmuth singled to start off the inning, and advanced to third on a single from Madison Septon. Jenna Bettge added another single for the Raiders, bringing home Lindenmuth and moving Septon to third base with no outs. Up next Ava Lewis doubled, scoring both Septon and Bettge. Lewis advanced to third on a single from Samantha Tungsvik, and both runners crossed home plate on a double from Elyssa Barnett. Vivian Watts then landed on base after an error by left field. With the bases loaded, Bryce Lindenmuth singled, bringing in two more runs for the Raiders. Madison Septon added the last RBI of the inning on a single, scoring Sidnye Burger who singled earlier in the inning. The Raiders tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning on a triple off the bat of Vivian Watts. Skagit Valley tried to regain the lead with two runs in the top of the sixth inning, but the Raiders silenced the Cardinals and tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the inning. Madison Septon started off the inning with a walk, followed by a single by Jenna Bettge, and another walk to Ava Lewis to load the bases. Septon scored on a wild pitch, adding the first run of the inning. Hailey Dean singled with the bases loaded, driving in the two remaining runs for the Raiders. The Cardinals scored one more run in the top of the seventh inning, but the Raiders were able to hold onto the lead, ending the game with a score of 14-8. Vivian Watts earned her first win of the season, facing all 37 batters. Watts gave up 14 hits, and 8 runs, while only walking one and striking out five batters.

In game two the Raiders used two big innings to keep the Cardinals at bay. The Cardinals scored two runs in the top of the first inning. The Raiders cut the lead in half, scoring one run in the bottom of the first inning as Jenna Bettge scored on a wild pitch. The Raiders tacked on five more runs in the bottom of the third inning, taking the lead with a score of 6-2. Ava Lewis started off the inning with a walk, and a stolen base, before scoring on a single hit by Samantha Tungsvik. Bryce Lindenmuth stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and no outs. Lindenmuth doubled, driving in two runs for the Raiders. Madison Septon earned her free ticket to first base on a walk, loading the bases for Hana Reynolds, who also walked, earning Reynolds an RBI. Ava Lewis singled up the middle, driving home the last run of the inning. Skagit Valley had a rally of their own, taking the lead in the top of the fifth inning as they scored six runs. The Raiders managed to chip away at the lead with one run in the bottom of the fifth as Jenna Bettge singled, scoring Hana Reynolds. Pierce added another four runs in the bottom of the sixth, taking the lead for the remainder of the game. The big inning started with a walk from Elyssa Barnett, and a single to right field from Vivian Watts. Up next Bryce Lindenmuth walked, loading the bases for Madison Septon, who also walked, bringing in a run for the Raiders and tying the game at 8-8. With no outs and the bases loaded, Hana Reynolds singled, bringing in another run for the Raiders as they took the lead with a score of 9-8. The Raiders weren’t done yet, adding two more insurance runs on a single from Hailey Dean, and an error on the second baseman, ending the inning with a score of 11-8. Samantha Tungsvik earned her first win of the season, pitching all seven innings. Tungsvik saw a total of 41 batters in the game, giving up 14 hits, and eight runs, while walking five and striking out seven.