Pasco, WA - Freshman catcher EmmaJoy Wise had a huge weekend at the plate during the NWAC inter-region tournament in Pasco. The Trojans went 2-2 defeating east region opponents Blue Mountain and #10 Treasure Valley but following to Yakima Valley and #1 ranked Mt. Hood.
Everett dominated their first game on Friday against a struggling Blue Mountain program. The Timberwolves had a first inning solo home run, but the Trojans responded by scoring runs in the next four innings, capped with a huge 7-run bottom of the 4th. With an 11-run lead, starting pitcher Alissa Hermansen and the EvCC defense got the job done in the top of the 5th to close out the game and secure the win via the 8-run rule, 13-4. EmmaJoy Wise hit a two-run home run in her first at bat, and Emma Hansen, Gracie Salverda, and Shayne Hoekendorf each added doubles. Olivia Boures, Ava Puaatuua, Wise, Hansen, and Hoekendorf each had multiple RBI's.
The Trojans faced a greater challenge in Yakima Valley in the second game, with runs much harder to come by. The Yaks starting pitcher gave up just 5 hits and two earned runs in 7 complete innings of work and also had 10 strikeouts. Wise was able to go 2-4 with a pair of singles and drove in a run, while Gracie Salverda used her speed to leg out a triple. Everett trailed 2-5 going into the top of the 7th. Wise's single drove in Renee Riggins who reached via a single and advanced Shayne Hoekendorf to second but she was left stranded and EvCC dropped just their second game of the year, 5-3. Starting pitcher Taryn Takayoshi pitched a solid game, giving up just 5 hits and striking out 8 batters, but 5 walks (3 in the first inning) and a 3 run homer in the 3rd ultimately proved too much to overcome.
The Trojans then faced #1 ranked Mt. Hood who had scored 90 runs through the first 6 games of the season. They jumped out early scoring 4 runs in the first and 7 in the second to take the wind out of the sails. Takayoshi finished the game in the circle for EvCC and again pitched a good game giving up just two hits and one earned run. EmmaJoy was one of the bright spots offensively. She went 3-3 and was a triple shy of hitting for the cycle. Kirstyn Scott was the only other Trojan to register a hit and the Trojans fell 11-2.
In the final game of the weekend Everett squared off with #10 Treasure Valley. After giving up a run in the top of the first, EvCC bounced back with a big 4-run bottom half highlighted by Oliva Boures' 3-run home run (her first long ball of the season. Starting pitcher Taryn Takayoshi held TVCC to one run in the 3rd and one in the 4th while Everett answered with three runs in the 3rd and 4th innings. Takayoshi ran into some trouble in the 6th, giving up 5 runs which allowed the Chukars to come back and tie the game at 10-10. Hermansen came in to get the final out of the inning, striking out the batter with runners on third and second. The EvCC offense responded in the bottom of the 6th to reclaim the lead. Yakima native Kenidee Holden hit her first career home run, a two run shot to put the Trojans back on top. Hermansen gave up a lead off homerun in the 7th, but then shut down the next three batters with a pair of strikeouts and a 6-3 groundout to finish the game 14-11. Wise went 3-3 to make it a perfect 6-6 on the day and Takayoshi had a two hit ball game which included a double and a pair of RBI's. Emma Hansen went 1-3 but put the ball in play three times with runners on, and drove in 3 RBI's to bring her career total up to 59.
EmmaJoy Wise was one of the top offensive players of the weekend, going 9-11 with two doubles, 3 home runs, 8 RBI's, scored 6 runs, and drew 2 walks. She also played all four games behind the plate and caught 8 runners stealing. EJ is currently 3rd in the NWAC in both batting average (.625) and slugging percentage (1.333) and leads the league in runners caught stealing (9). Taryn Takayoshi had a nice 4-10 weekend with a double and 3 RBI's in addition to her pitching and both Emma Hansen and Olivia Boures each had 5 RBI's. Home run hitters on the weekend were Wise (3), Holden (1), and Boures (1).
Everett will open up region play this week with a Wednesday doubleheader against cross town rival Edmonds College. The Tritons are 6-4 with key wins over Clackamas, Spokane, and Centralia. The pair of games will be the first in a four game series that will count toward the T-Trophy Standings, the rivalry series where the two schools earn points for wins against their rivals. Everett holds a narrow 4-3 lead through fall and winter sports.