By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
Solid hitting and capable defense from the Juneau-Douglas Glacier Bears proved too much for the Sitka High Lady Wolves last week as Juneau swept a three-game series against the home team, Thursday and Friday at Moller Field.
On Thursday, Juneau won the first game in a blowout 11-0, but Sitka rallied Friday and narrowed the scoreboard in subsequent games. While the Wolves’ bats lit up in some innings, it was too little to overcome Juneau, and Sitka lost 10-6 and 18-11 against their Southeast rivals.
Juneau took an early lead in Friday evening’s second game and by the end of the second inning was up 5-2, but Sitka’s defense shut down the Glacier Bears in the third and fourth. In those innings, Sitka scored a cumulative 6 runs – taking the lead at last.
But Juneau bounced back and snagged a narrow lead in the top of the fifth with a double RBI hit by Amira Andrews, followed by 2 more runs scored off of a Sitka error.
Macee Steinson, a Sitka senior, stressed the need to cut down on errors.
“Once we got into it, we were hitting good and we were feeling good,” she said after the loss. “It’s just, you know, these compound errors need to stop and not be compound errors, just be one error.”
Sitka tied the game again following an RBI by Alina Lebahn – who then made it home on a passed ball to give her team a 1-run lead. But Juneau scored 4 runs in the sixth while Sitka scored only 1, off a hit by Dalila Callahan. Juneau stretched their lead by 5 in the seventh. Sitka’s bats fell silent; in the bottom of the seventh inning, only three batters stepped up to the plate before the team accumulated three outs, ending the game with an 18-11 loss.
Harlee Nelson, also a senior, said the team needs to work more cohesively as a unit, but overall the squad has proven resilient.
“We had a couple of times where we were playing for ourselves, instead of all nine of us that were on the field. And it’s really important to play for all nine and not just focus on your errors and get in your own head,” Nelson said. “That’s kind of what some of us were doing. But we got out of it… We did good picking up our teammates when someone was down, letting them know that they need to forget it and keep going.”
Unlike prior games in which Juneau was dominant, Sitka withstood fatigue and put up more of a fight in the third matchup of the series, senior Kaleena Tucker said.
“Our bats did a lot better. Our hitting, we got some nice doubles and triples and I think we stole a little bit more, which was really good,” she said.
Like her teammates, senior Michele Winger emphasized the team’s solid hitting in game three.
“Keeping our energy throughout the entire game, we let down a few times… We had really good bats; our plays were also very good.”
After such a one-sided loss Thursday, Nelson was eager for Friday’s rematch.
“We were hungry. We couldn’t have a game like yesterday and not come back like we did today,” she said Friday evening.
Lady Wolves coach Jael McCarty expected Juneau to be a tough opponent with their experienced, seven-senior squad, but nonetheless told her team to hit hard and keep up the pressure in the mid-season series.
“We just encourage the girls to come in aggressive at the plate and look to hit,” McCarty said. “We always know that our bats are what spark our fire, and we just kept them going right from the get-go (in game three). We didn’t have very many innings where we didn’t score a run. And getting base runners on – base running is kind of our strength – and so it makes all the difference.”
Between Friday’s games, Sitka took a moment to honor their five seniors: Harlee Nelson, Macee Steinson, Kaleena Tucker and twin sisters Michele and Andrea Winger.
Though the season is far from done, Steinson said the event hammered home how close she is to graduation.
“This is my second senior night of the school year, and, it’s even more real. It’s like, wow, OK, this is it,” she said. Steinson also was honored at the cheer team senior night two months ago. She will begin studies at San Diego State University in California in the fall.
But weeks remain in the softball season, Nelson added, which gave the event a different tone.
“It’s kind of weird, because softball is nowhere near done. It’s kind of like the middle of the season… but it was definitely emotional,” said Nelson. She intends to begin work with Alaska Airlines following graduation.
Senior Andrea Winger, who is the softball team manager this season after tearing her anterior cruciate ligament playing basketball earlier this year, was saddened by the loss of her final softball season, but has high hopes for her team this season.
“It’s really fun watching the team play, supporting them, cheering them on… I really hope that they reach their best potential and get to state,” she said. Both Winger sisters plan to attend Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, in the fall.
For Kaleena Tucker, senior night was somewhat surreal: “I still can’t believe it.”
She plans to begin technical training with Sitka’s 302 Operators Union after high school and would like to learn welding and diesel mechanics.
The team plays again in Homer next weekend.
“I’m excited to show them what we’ve got,” Michele Winger said.
With the regional tournament coming up May 25-27 in Sitka, McCarty wants the team to work on their confidence in coming games.
“This team is something special, and they just have to get the confidence in themselves that their coaching staff has in them. I’m not worried at all.”
Sitka’s Dalila Callahan delivers a pitch against Juneau-Douglas, Friday at Moller Field. Juneau swept the three-game series. (Sentinel photo)
