The Rochester softball team came out on top of a back-and-forth non-league affair against Tumwater on Friday, as Leah Hartley’s walk-off two-run double lifted the Warriors to an 11-10 win.
“They deserve every ounce of credit in the world,” Rochester coach Joni Lancaster said. “The last couple of games, we were so close. We just had to get over the hump, and we did … I’m so proud of them.”
Hartley’s double was the final hit of a wild game, as the two teams combined for 27 hits.
Tumwater (8-2, 4-0 2A EvCo) struck in the first inning to take a 1-0 lead, but Rochester (4-5, 1-3 2A EvCo) responded with three in the first and two in the third to take a 5-1 lead.
The Tumwater offense went to work, scoring three in each of the next three innings, and the T-Birds led 10-6 heading into the bottom of the sixth.
The Warriors got closer with a pair in the sixth, but still trailed 10-8 heading into the final frame.
After three straight singles, including an RBI knock from Cheyenne Justice, Layna Demers was intentionally walked to load the bases with no one out. The T-Birds were able to get one out on an infield pop up, but Hartley came through with the game-winner.
“There’s never a doubt in my mind that we won’t fight or come back,” Lancaster said. “They didn’t get down. It was just one at a time, chip away, chip away.”
Hartley finished 4 for 4 at the plate with five runs batted in, and she also pitched a scoreless inning in the top of the seventh. It was the first time that the junior had stepped into the circle in high school.
“She’s been right there,” Lancaster said. “We knew her time was coming, and it came in a huge spot … She had a fantastic day all around, I’m very proud of her.”
Demers was intentionally walked in the seventh because of the damage she did earlier in the game. She finished 3 for 3 with two home runs, a double, and three RBIs. Arissa LeBaron pitched the first six innings of the game and also went 1 for 2 with a run driven in at the plate.
For Tumwater, Elsa Schock finished 2 for 4 with a home run and three RBIs, while Megan Barrett also collected a pair of base hits and Jamie Hasse went 3 for 4.
Both teams resume league play on the road on Monday, as Tumwater will head to Fort Borst Park to face Centralia and Rochester will head north to take on Black Hills.
