Ninety percent of the offense for the Rainier softball team came in the final inning and it had just enough to hold off Kalama and triumph for a 7-6 C2BL victory on Thursday afternoon in Kalama.
Two straight league wins puts the Mountaineers (8-8, 4-3 C2BL) in a tie with Napavine and Toutle Lake for fourth in the league. They have the head-to-head win over the Tigers and close the regular season versus the Ducks.
Five runs in the seventh broke a 2-2 tie and put Rainier on top. Olivia Earsley kicked off the frame with a go-ahead RBI double and Gracie Lantz ended the outburst with a two-run single. Ryleigh Cruse and Brooklynn Swenson both recorded run-scoring hits in the inning.
Kalama responded with four runs in the bottom half and could have tied the game if not for the Mountaineers throwing two runners out at the plate to keep them ahead. Cruse preserved the win with a groundout.
Swenson and Cruse each went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and at least one extra base hit at the plate while the latter struck out 10 in the circle and danced around six walks. Rainier will take on Winlock in a doubleheader on Monday.
