The Olympia softball team fell victim to one of the best freshman softball players in Washington state Thursday, as many South Puget Sound League teams have this spring.
Puyallup freshman right-handed pitcher Jaycee Kemp froze the Olympia offense in an 11-0 shutout win for the Vikings. She struck out 11 batters and only allowed two hits and one walk.
Olympia starter Izzy Falling went toe to toe with Kemp for four innings, as Puyallup scored once in the second but was held scoreless in the first, third and fourth. But the Vikings offense wore down the Bears bullpen, logging two runs in the fifth, five in the sixth and three in the seventh.
Sam Graham and Mariah Martin recorded Olympia’s lone hits.
“They held their own and battled really hard for four-plus solid innings behind Izzy Falling’s pitching,” Olympia head coach Drew Wellner said. “Things just unraveled a bit down the stretch.”
Olympia (4-8, 4-5 South Puget Sound League) returns to action Monday for a road contest against Spanaway Lake (1-11, 0-10 South Puget Sound League). The Bears beat the Sentinels 26-6 on March 17.
