LACEY — There wasn’t much competition that Ella Ferguson faced prior to Wednesday’s Evergreen Conference opener.
The Tumwater High School senior and ace pitcher was vacationing in Hawaii during the early portion of the regular season.
“It is a little different when all of us play a role, specifically, and me not being there wasn’t beneficial for the team necessarily," Ferguson admitted.
She’s back now and after six innings of work in the circle at the Regional Athletic Complex, she hasn’t missed a beat.
Ferguson dazzled in her first start in her senior season, firing a no-hitter with 10 strikeouts to help Tumwater claim an 11-0, six-inning victory over Black Hills. Bound for Sacramento State in the fall, she needed just 82 pitches for the shutout.
“All of us have been waiting for the season to start since (last season) ended,” Ferguson said. “We’ve been doing open cages since August. Playing in my first game (in) my senior year is a surreal experience.”
While the right-hander caught some rays on the beach, the T-Birds (3-1, 1-0 EvCo) battled some rainouts and postponements, but still picked up non-league wins over Seattle Christian and Montesano.
Ferguson pitched the last four innings against the Bulldogs and fanned seven hitters.
“I do want to keep (her arm) fresh,” Tumwater first-year head coach Shaunie Kennedy said.
Even with the majority of the Thunderbirds back in the dugout off a state runner-up finish, a 4-2 heartbreaker against Sedro-Woolley, there are still some changes.
Kennedy takes over for Ashley Lupinski, the coach for the T-Birds over at least the last two campaigns.
The former has been around the area on the club circuit. Now, she’s tasked with leading one of the premier programs in Class 2A back to the top.
“I’m going to go with what they've been doing, but I’m going to put my spin on stuff and fix little things I see,” Kennedy said. “I’m not going to come in like a wrecking ball.”
Ferguson stated there isn’t much of a dropoff in terms of intensity.
“If somebody came in and let us be on our own, that is not going to be beneficial for anybody,” she said. “We want this more than anything. The only thing we can do is look forward.”
Tumwater extended a 1-0 lead with three runs each in the top of the third and fourth innings. Megan Barrett roped a two-run double while Sarah Stevens, Erika Schock, Elizabeth McCartney all recorded run-scoring singles.
Ferguson went 4-for-5 with a double and a triple at the plate while catcher Jaime Haase recorded three hits and drove in a game-high four runs. Barrett and Schock each finished with two RBIs.
“We’re all going to have our bad games and the nice thing is we have girls we can pluck in that can pick them up,” Kennedy said. “It is nice to have those girls on the bench.”
Black Hills (2-2, 0-1) only saw Kailey Miller reach base on a hit by pitch and she promptly stole second base. Other than that, it was a quiet night at the dish.
All but one hitter in its lineup went down on strikes.
“We had a good practice preparing for her, and it showed early, but she is a talented player,” Wolves head coach Mike Vessey said. “You just never know.”
While just four games into the season, Vessey does feel the goals stated at the start of the year are still attainable. He feels being able to nab a District 4 pigtail spot is within reach.
Black Hills will hit the road on Friday to take on Aberdeen.
“That league we have is loaded with good teams, good pitching,” Vessey said. “I still have a lot of confidence. I’m excited about what this team can do.”
Tumwater resumes league play on Monday versus Shelton.
