Last season’s River Ridge softball team was no stranger to massive offensive outings, and it appears the 2026 edition of the Hawks is no different.
The Hawks opened the season with a 21-3 drubbing of Mount Tahoma in five innings on the road Monday. River Ridge has scored 40 combined runs against Mount Tahoma in its last two meetings, as the Hawks beat the T-Birds 19-3 last season.
The Hawks took advantage of a sloppy first inning by Mount Tahoma Monday, scoring on a hit batter with the bases loaded, a passed ball and two errors en route to a four-spot in the opening frame.
But the T-Birds offense responded in the first with an RBI double and a two-run, inside-the-park home run to make it a one-run game. Mount Tahoma chased River Ridge starting pitcher Raylie Birklid after one inning as she was replaced by Jacklyn Holcomb, who struck out the side in the second.
River Ridge blitzed the Mount Tahoma defense for three consecutive innings. The Hawks scored three in the third on an RBI single by Rylee Standard and two errors that each led directly to a run. A nine-run fourth blew the game open, and a five-run fifth sent both teams home early via mercy rule. In a wild stat, the Hawks scored 16 runs off of Mount Tahoma starting pitcher Naleiah Verdadero, but only one of them was earned.
Eva Lynch and Ruby Christensen both recorded two hits and an RBI, while Standard and Holcomb had two RBIs apiece. Holcomb also shined in the circle, pitching four shutout innings while striking out eight and allowing only one hit and one walk.
River Ridge (1-0, 1-0 Puget Sound League-Nisqually) will host Lincoln at the Regional Athletic Complex Wednesday afternoon for its home opener.
