Softball Game Preview: Spanaway Lake Sentinels vs. Emerald Ridge Jaguars

Spanaway Lake hasn't had much luck against Emerald Ridge recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Sentinels will be playing at home against the Jaguars at 4:00 p.m. Spanaway Lake has given up an average of 22 runs per game this season, but Tuesday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Spanaway Lake is headed into Tuesday's matchup looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their ninth straight game dating back to last season on Wednesday. They lost 18-5 to Curtis.

Meanwhile, Emerald Ridge had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 9.8 runs) and they went ahead and made it five on Monday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 6-4 victory over the Wolves. Surprisingly, this marked the fourth straight game that the away team has come away the victor.

Alanna Wirtala made a big impact no matter where she played. She struck out 12 batters over seven innings while giving up four earned runs off six hits (and only one walk). That's the most strikeouts she has posted since back in May of 2024. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with two doubles and one RBI.

In other batting news, Payton Robillard was excellent, going 2-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one double. Another player making a difference was Abygale Redwine, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.

Emerald Ridge pushed their record up to 8-3 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.7 runs on average over those games. As for Spanaway Lake, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-7.

Spanaway Lake might still be hurting after the 13-1 loss they got from Emerald Ridge in their previous meeting back in May of 2016. Can the Sentinels avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.