Eight runs over the opening three innings pushed the Bearcats to a comfortable lead and held on to triumph over Black Hills 12-6 on Friday on the road to complete the three-game Evergreen Conference sweep.
With three league games remaining before the district tournament, W.F. West (10-7, 7-5 EvCo) are up three games on Black Hills and Centralia for third place. The Bearcats open the final week at home against Tumwater on Monday.
“Black Hills played a heckuva game, hit the ball over the place,” W.F. West head coach Kevin Zylstra said. “I was extremely proud of (our) defense, outfielders making catches (at) the fence. Put on a clinic.”
Avalon Myers raced her way for a three-run inside-the-park home run in a five-run first, then Rayah Middleton roped a two-run single in the second. The Bearcats also scored two runs in the fifth and seventh frames.
Black Hills (7-9, 4-8) trimmed the deficit on a Kailey Miller three-run home run in the fifth in between one run in both the fourth and sixth. It put two runners on base in the seventh, but Bearcats starter Taylor Tobin registered back-to-back strikeouts.
Gracie Elam had three hits – two of them doubles – plus Addie Froschauer recorded three hits for W.F. West. Black Hills, who registered five errors, had three different players notch two hits. The Wolves will face Shelton on Monday.
