Softball: After state run, Cruisers off to slow start in '23

The Eatonville Lady Cruiser fastpitch team got off to a rough start to the 2023 season.

With no returning starters and only four returning players from last year's third place state-finishing squad, a young Eatonville team had a full week of games to kick things off.

Unfortunately, the Cruisers were on the losing end of all of those games and opened to an 0-4 start of the season.

They hosted the Morton-White Pass Wolves in a double-header to start things off on March 14.

The Cruisers took a 1-0 lead into the final inning before the Wolves explode and roughed up Eatonville’s starting pitcher, freshman Amy Tozier, for seven runs.

Eatonville managed one more run in the bottom of the inning when Kyleigh Backlund hit a double to drive in Zoe Burns before suffering a 7-2 loss. Backlund also scored the Cruisers' other run in the fourth inning when she reached home on a wild pitch.

In game two of the doubleheader, the Cruisers did not fare much better as the Wolves’ nine-run first inning put the Cruisers in a hole they couldn't find their way out of before falling 17-4 in a mercy rule-shortened four-inning game.

On March 15, Eatonville hosted the River Ridge Hawks out of the 3A South Sound Conference. Eatonville was no match for the Hawks as they no-hit the Cruisers 12-0 in a mercy rule-shortened game.

The Cruisers finished the week on Thursday at University Place to take on the 4A Curtis Vikings.

The Vikings downed Eatonville, 13-1, in another mercy rule-shortened game. Backlund scored the lone Cruiser run on a passed ball after she reached base on a double to left field and advanced to third on an error.

MORTON-WHITE PASS 7, EATONVILLE 2

Eatonville                     0 0 0 1 1 X X   2 3 2

Morton-White Pass    0 0 0 0 7 X X   7 8 1

PITCHING: A. Tozier 5 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 6 BB

HIGHLIGHTS: K. Backlund 1-3 with a double, an RBI and a run scored. A. Kistenmacher 1-3 with a double. L. Downey 1-2 with a single.

MORTON-WHITE PASS 14, EATONVILLE 7

Eatonville                     1 2 1 0 X X X    4  2 2

Morton-White Pass    9 6 2 0 X X X   17 9 0

PITCHING: Z. Burns 2.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 K. G. Field .2 IP, 2 H, 9 R, 7 BB 1 K. A. Mills .2 IP, 3 H, 6 R, 5 BB.

HIGHLIGHTS: L. Downey 1-2 with a single and one run scored. K. Backlund 1-2 with a single, one run scored and an RBI.

RIVER RIDGE 12, EATONVILLE 0

River Ridge    3 3 1 5 0 X X   12 8 1

Eatonville    0 0 0 0 0 X X     0 0 1

PITCHING: A Tozier 3.0 IP, 5H, 7R, 7BB, 0K. G. Field 1.0 IP, 2H, 5R, 3BB, 0K. Z. Burns 1.0IP, 1H, 0R, 0BB, 2K