South Kitsap crushes Curtis 22-2 in opener

It’s been nearly two years since the South Kitsap fastpitch team took the field in Port Orchard, but it was well worth the wait.

The Wolves hammered out 15 hits against Curtis in their 2021 debut Tuesday, crushing their SPSL foe 22-2.

Leading the offensive charge was sophomore outfielder Emma Stamp, who belted two home runs and drove in four, and freshman first baseman Kamdyn Hagerty, who doubled three times and had five RBI.

South Kitsap exploded for 11 runs in the third inning, with 14 batters going to the plate. Already ahead 4-0, Sarah Hoyt opened the inning with a double, and Hagerty followed with a two-bagger of her own to bring in Hoyt. Stamp then smashed a homer to the deepest part of the yard for the next run.

The rally continued as Jordan Blas drew her second hit-by-pitch of the game, and Elly Barnett followed with a single. Marisol Bergstrom picked up an infield single to load the bases, and Karlee Lovett’s fly ball to the outfield was dropped, scoring two more runs.

A walk and another hit-by-pitch loaded the bases, and then Hagerty cleared them with a long double to centerfield. Stamp nearly homered for the second time in the inning, but the ball landed at the base of the fence in center for a double. When the dust cleared, South Kitsap led 15-0.

“We have a good core group of kids right here,” said Bobby Lawrence, who made his debut as South Kitsap’s coach. “My biggest challenge is to make sure they do the little things correctly. They communicate efficiently, charge the ball efficiently, they’re talking.”

Like many other first-year spring coaches, Lawrence was set to take the helm in 2020, but COVID-19 eventually canceled all spring sports.

“Three days into practice, we got the bad news, and we had to wait a year,” Lawrence said.

Southpaw Brooke Jett pitched four innings of no-hit ball for the Wolves and also made an impact with the bat, slamming a two-run homer to rightfield in the fourth. Stamp also hit a two-run shot later in the inning.

Sparking the offense at the top of the order was lefty speedster Bergstrom, who picked up four singles and stole three bases.

“We really like to put defenses on their heels with aggressive base running,” Lawrence said. “Stylistically, that’s what we do, and that’s who we are.”

Bergstrom opened the scoring, coming home on a wild pitch in the first inning. Barnett roped a two-run double down the leftfield line in the second to put the Wolves up 3-0 early.

South Kitsap 22, Curtis 2

CU 0 0 0 0 2 — 2 3 3

SK 1 3 11 7 x — 22 15 1

WP: Jett LP: Ginnis

Pitching

Curtis — Ginnis 3 IP, 10 H, 15 R, 13 ER, 5 BB, K; Ecklund IP, 5 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 3 BB.

South Kitsap — Jett 4 IP, 4 BB, 3 K; Hagerty IP, 3 H, 2 R, ER, K.

Hitting

Curtis — Ginnis 1-1, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB; Reyes 1-2, BB; Dale 1-3.

South Kitsap — Bergstrom 4-4, 4 R, 3 SB; Hagerty 3-4, 3 2B, 5 RBI, 3 R; Stamp 3-3, 2 HR, 2B, 4 RBI, BB, 3 R; Jett 1-2, HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB, R; Barnett 2-2, 2B, 2 RBI, BB.