The Capital softball team returned from spring break with a 13-3 victory at Lincoln Monday to win its first game of the 2026 season.
First-year head coach Jeremy Taylor-Sparks earned his first win of his Capital career.
“This is all about these young ladies,” Taylor-Sparks said. “They are bought in and are getting better every day. The future is bright.”
Lincoln capitalized on two Capital errors in the first inning and scored a pair of runs against Cougars starter Lexie Dura. But Capital responded in the second as Rayli Floe came home on a passed ball and Lola McKeone drilled an RBI triple to tie the game.
McKeone recorded her second extra-base hit of the game in the fourth with an RBI double to give the Cougars a 3-2 lead.
Capital, a team that hadn’t scored more than six runs in a game entering Monday’s contest, fired on all cylinders in the fifth inning against Lincoln. The Cougars scored eight runs in the fifth alone, including seven with two outs. Tailana Salonga and Valorie Hinchman picked up an RBI apiece, McKeone added her second RBI double, and Devyn Zipperer raced around the bases for a three-run inside-the-park home run.
McKeone was not finished, as she notched her fourth extra-base hit and second triple to score another run in the sixth. Natasha Drinkall capped off the excellent scoring day with an RBI single.
After allowing two unearned runs in the first inning, Dura kept Lincoln scoreless until the sixth when the Cougars already held a 13-2 lead. She finished with 10 strikeouts across six innings, allowing just four hits, three unearned runs and three walks. This marked her second game this season with at least 10 strikeouts and three or fewer walks.
“Lexie was great in the circle tonight. Her changeup was working, and she painted the corners,” Taylor-Sparks said of Dura.
McKeone finished 4 of 5 at the plate with four runs batted in, two runs, two doubles, two triples and a stolen base. Zipperer went 3 of 5 with three RBIs, a home run, and two stolen bases.
“Lola was an absolute menace at the plate and on the bases, as well as behind the dish,” Taylor-Sparks said. “She is the leader of this team. Devyn was a monster at the plate, and her speed killed today. She hit the ball hard, and we finally got to see her speed.”
Capital (1-7, 1-6 Puget Sound League) returns to Stevens Field Tuesday for a non-league contest against Black Hills (0-7, 0-4 EvCo).
