W.F. West suffered its first loss of the season on Thursday, losing to Prairie 9-1 in a non-league matchup in Vancouver.
The Falcons built an early lead, scoring three in the first, and they added on throughout the contest, including a four-run fifth.
The Bearcats struggled to find answers offensively against Portland State commit Mackenzie Moore, who allowed just four hits while striking out 11 across five and a third scoreless innings.
“Outstanding changeup,” W.F. West coach Kevin Zylstra said. “We needed to do a better job hunting base hits early in the count. She kept the ball low, and it was hard for our hitters to adjust … We couldn’t get the key hit.”
W.F. West’s lone run came in the seventh, when Kenley Fragner drove in Rayah Middleton with an RBI single. Both Fragner and Middleton finished with two hits, as did Brooklyn Spencer.
The Bearcats (5-1, 1-0 EvCo) finish their non-league slate 4-1, with wins over Camas, Kelso, Woodland, and North Thurston.
“I’m pleased,” Zylstra said. “We designed it that way when we set the schedule and the girls responded.”
Every game left on the Bearcats regular season schedule is a league game, starting with a trip to Shelton on Friday.
