So much for home field advantage.
Two days after dropping an 18-9 NW2B/1B win to the visiting Orcas Island Vikings, the La Conner Braves softball team returned the favor with a 10-9 road victory April 24 on the island.
La Conner pitcher Della Damien checked Orcas on three hits over seven innings and struck out seven Vikings to secure the league triumph.
Damien was backed by a seven-hit Braves attack led by Aaliyah Gonzalez who delivered a trio of base hits and drove in three runs. Kellie Cayou-Lockrem added two hits and an RBI for the victors.
Penelope Gwin and Angie Pena rounded out the La Conner offense with a base hit apiece. Gwin also matched Gonzalez with three RBIs.
La Conner bolted to a 6-0 lead after two innings. The Braves extended the margin to 9-2 after four frames, then survived a five-run Orcas outburst in the fifth.
The Braves, who added an insurance score in the sixth, took advantage of four Orcas Island errors.
Damien, who threw 158 pitches, allowed only five earned runs. Four of the Vikings’ tallies were the result of La Conner fielding miscues. The Braves’ defense, however, was generally solid with Pena recording four assists at shortstop.
La Conner, which improved to 2-4 in league play, is slated to resume NW2B/1B action at Darrington on April 29. The two teams are scheduled for a May 1 rematch in La Conner. Both games start at 4 p.m.
Bill Reynolds: bill@laconnercommunitynews.org. Bill is a general assignment reporter who covers Town government, schools, and spot news.
