North Kitsap High School’s diamond athletes once again swept honors during Kitsap County’s all-star games, held this week at Pendergast and Legion Fields. NK’s Heather Case picked up the MVP of the fastpitch game Thursday while J.B. Kandoll picked up the same honor in the baseball game Wednesday.
Fastpitch
Case is going to have a busy summer.
But if most of her days end like Thursday’s did, she’ll be just fine with that.
Case, who was voted the Narrows League Most Valuable Player for the 2004 fastpitch softball season, picked up yet another MVP award after an impressive showing at the Second Annual Benik/1010 Graphx Fastpitch Showcase held at Pendergrast Park in Bremerton.
Case, a senior from North Kitsap High School, led the American League All-Star team to a pair of wins over the National League in Thursday’s action that showcased the best players in Kitsap County.
“Just to come out here and play with (the best in the area) and come out and here and say, ‘Oh wow, we got her on my team,’ that’s great,” Case said. “It’s nice to be able to come out and have fun, be able to relax and do your own thing and not really hold back anything.”
Case, who will play for Whitworth College in Spokane next year, held nothing back in leading the American League team to 5-2 and 1-0 wins over the National League.
Case picked up the win in the first game by throwing four innings, allowing two runs on three hits while striking out five.
On the day at the plate, Case went 4-for-7, earning one of the field coaches’ MVP awards.
The other award, voted on by Strege and Blackwood, went to Olympic’s Hope Hillman.
“It’s so much fun to come out here and be as relaxed as we are and do the stuff that we do,” Case said.“If you come out relaxed and focused, you can achieve about anything you want to. You know when you’re around the girls on your own team, and you’re there every day, it can get kind of iffy. Coming here with a whole bunch of fresh people, it’s awesome.”
Case, Lisa Gilbert, Brenda Stice and Jamie Heins were all elected to be on the All-Star squad this year.
Baseball
Good teams always respond to a challenge.
Tuesday’s all-star prep baseball doubleheader was no different as the National League brought 11 batters to the plate in a seven-run third inning to a 14-8 win in the nightcap and sweep the American League at Legion Field.
The American League took a quick lead in the first inning when Kandoll hit a 1-0 pitch from Port Townsend’s Chad Holbrook over the left-center field fence for a grand slam to take a 4-0 lead.
“It was a fastball right down the middle,” Kandoll said.
That helped Kandoll, who finished with 5 RBIs in the two games, earn the Elton Goodwin MVP award. Goodwin, a local baseball legend, led South Kitsap to three state championships..
Kandoll was also nominated for the Washington State Baseball Coaches Association All-State Series June 12-13 in Wenatchee.
