Washougal softball wins three

The Washougal softball team capped off a breakout week with three victories.

Behind the pitching of freshman Courtney Shelley and the hitting of sophomore Madisen Baldwin, the Panthers beat the Fort Vancouver Trappers 15-0 March 26, at Fort Vancouver High School.

Baldwin went 2-for-2 at the plate, and reached base for a third time by drawing a walk. Sierra Carroll finished 3-for-4 with three singles, and Becca Bennett went 2-for-4. Senior co-captain Jackie Cohrs knocked in three runs.

On Wednesday, Washougal traveled to the Vancouver Girls Softball Association Complex, in Salmon Creek, to take on Columbia River. The Chieftains capitalized on four fielding errors by the Panthers and built a 3-0 lead through four innings.

Then, Washougal turned the whole game around in the top of the fifth.

After the first batter struck out, Shelley hit a solid single to get a rally started. Senior co-captain Ashley Carroll hit another single to move the runner into scoring position, and then Baldwin brought in the first run on a single. Bennett added another RBI, and then Savana Kepner stroked a 2-run single. Cohrs capped off a 5-run fifth inning for the Panthers with an RBI double.

Columbia River managed to score one more run in the sixth, before Shelley and the Washougal infielders shut the Chieftains down the rest of the game.

“When River tried to make a comeback, it was pleasing to see our girls stay relaxed, play focused and be confident,” said head coach John Carver. “We truly earned a great win.”

The Panthers finished a memorable week by smashing Hudson’s Bay 11-5 Thursday, in front of their family members and friends, in Washougal.

“Our girls wanted to play a good game in front of our great fans, and we did exactly that,” Carver said.

Shelley went 3-for-3 with three singles to go along with another solid seven innings on the mound. Cohrs managed to get on base four times, scored four runs and drove in two runs.

The Washougal junior varsity softball team also recorded three straight victories.

“It was a good week to be a Panther,” Carver said.