Spartan Softball season ends with loss to Stanford Olympia
By FRED KRONER
fred@sjodaily.com
Missed opportunities were the main story of St. Joseph-Ogden’s sectional softball semifinal game on Wednesday.
Against an opponent it had beaten earlier in the season, SJ-O left the bases loaded in three different innings and dropped a 4-2 decision to Stanford Olympia in the Olympia Class 2A Sectional Tournament.
Missed opportunities were not only part of the team story but also part of Bailey Dowling’s individual story. The junior shortstop missed the opportunity to swing the bat.
Olympia intentionally walked the person selected as National Player of the Week on May 20 by Extra Inning Softball on all four of her plate appearances, giving Dowling seven consecutive intentional walks to end the postseason.
“She finished so strong, people don’t want to take a chance on her,” SJ-O coach Larry Sparks said. “I think people would walk her with the bases loaded rather than take a chance on giving up four runs.”
In the SJ-O first, leadoff batter Dowling was walked and eventually scored. The Spartans scored both of their runs in the first inning when Katie Poulter and Lauren Trankina each drew bases-loaded walks.
In three separate innings, SJ-O left the bases loaded.
“We had opportunities, but we couldn’t get it done,” Sparks said. “We couldn’t get the timely hits.
“We didn’t get some bunts down.”
SJ-O outhit Olympia, 4-3. Dukeman had two of the SJ-O hits. Poulter and Raegan Crippen produced the Spartans’ other hits.
Zoey Witruk pitched six innings for SJ-O, yielding three hits. She walked seven and struck out one. Just two of the four runs she permitted were earned.
Olympia pitcher Kaelyn Leverson struck out 13 batters, but walked 10, including the four intentional passes to Dowling.
Savannah Smith drew three walks.
SJ-O ended the season with a 22-10 record.
“I don’t know much more we could have done this year with the pitching staff coming off the injuries they had,” Sparks said. “They all had something going on and couldn’t do much during the winter.”
The Spartans will graduate four seniors: second baseman Savannah Smith, center fielder Katie Poulter, pitcher/first baseman Ashtyn Cromwell and pitcher Hannah Lewis.
Among the key returnees will be Dowling, who owns the all-time state record for career home runs with 65.
For the season, Dowling batted .674 (64 for 95) with half of her hits going for extra bases, including 22 home runs. She had a 1.495 slugging percentage and, thanks to 31 walks, an on-base percentage of .760. Dowling drove in 47 runs and scored 66 runs. In 129 plate appearances, she struck out just five times.
Olympia will take on Unity in Saturday’s 11 a.m. sectional championship game.
