SPORTS 10 l May 7, 2014 SAMMAMISH REVIEW

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By Neil Pierson

Back on April 7, the Inglemoor Vikings whipped the Eastlake Wolves 10-0 in a Class 4A KingCo Conference fastpitch game.

When the teams met again April 30, though, it was Eastlake’s turn to inflict pain.

The Wolves had a 12-run ava-lanche in the third inning, and all nine starters recorded hits en route to an 18-4 victory over Crest Division rival Inglemoor at Eastlake High School.

Even the players weren’t able to explain the exact reasons for the offensive explosion. Eastlake set season-highs with 18 runs and 19 hits.

“We don’t usually hit that well,” said senior shortstop Elizabeth Tracy, who had two hits, scored twice and drove in three runs. “This year, we’ve been a lot more aggressive at the plate, and we’ve been getting a lot more hits, but (19) is … what we’re going to have to go for from now on.”

It was a key victory for the Wolves in the KingCo standings. They improved to 8-6 overall, 7-3 in conference, and remained 1.5 games back of Crest Division-leading Redmond.

The Wolves were scheduled to host Redmond May 6, results that came after press time, and the

win over Inglemoor kept them a half-game ahead of third-place Woodinville, which beat Eastlake 12-4 on April 29.

On the heels of its April 7 loss at Inglemoor, it appeared Eastlake was going to have anoth-er tough day against the Vikings last week.

Inglemoor (8-6, 5-5) scored two first-inning runs off Wolves pitcher Mikel Charles, then added an unearned run in the second inning to lead 3-0.

In the third, though, Eastlake’s bats caught fire. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases, and Corina Jones dropped a bloop hit into shallow right field for the Wolves’ first run.

The momentum had shifted, and Eastlake didn’t let go of it. Tracy slammed a bases-clearing double, giving the Wolves an 8-3 lead before the Vikings had recorded an out. Inglemoor switched pitchers twice to try and stop the rally, but had no answers.

Eastlake’s Maddie Simpson delivered a pair of two-run sin-gles during the third inning, and added her fifth and sixth RBIs with a single in the Wolves’ six-run fourth.

Simpson had to deal with a leg injury earlier this season, and has

Payback: Eastlake fastpitch dominates Inglemoor, 18-4

Photo by Neil PiersonEastlake batter Maddie Coats connects with the ball during an April 30 game with Inglemoor. Coats and the Wolves pounded 19 hits in their 18-4 victory.

See EASTLAKE, Page 11

By Neil Pierson

In a matchup of teams with very similar résumés, it was one of the most talented players on the pitch who came through with the game-changing play.

Skyline senior forward Jason Twaddle scored in the fourth minute, and the Spartans handed the rival Issaquah Eagles their first loss of the season, 1-0, on May 1 at Spartan Stadium.

The victory catapulted Skyline (9-0-1, 28 points) past Issaquah (9-1-0, 27 points) for first place in the Class 4A KingCo Conference boys soccer standings. The teams will play for the KingCo tourna-ment title at 7:30 p.m. May 8, and Skyline will have the home-field advantage again.

“Tonight was about trying to secure home field, and that’s it,” Spartans coach Don Braman said. “It doesn’t mean anything more than that. We’re not excited about anything other than host-ing this game, and we know that there’s nothing that’s been accomplished yet and we have

everything to prove.”Twaddle also seemed to have

something to prove. With the game still in its feel-out stages, he corralled a pass near the left cor-ner of the penalty box, swiveled to his left, took a couple touches and blasted a shot past Issaquah goalkeeper Saif Kerawala.

“I always love those (plays) in the corner – just beat a guy and then try to shoot it,” Twaddle said. “It’s not very likely, but I got lucky and got it in.”

Eagles coach Kyle Tatro believed the goal resulted partial-ly from a defensive mistake, but he didn’t take credit away from Twaddle.

“Our defender slipped as (Twaddle) made the turn and recovered, but not enough,” Tatro said. “And Twaddle is a fabulous player. He’s got the tal-ent to score those kind of goals. He took advantage of that slip on our part, but he’s definitely got a phenomenal strike.”

From there, the Spartans

Photo by Greg FarrarJason Twaddle, Skyline High School senior forward (left), swivels to his left in the left corner, leaving Issaquah junior defender Liam Bruno sprawling in the fourth minute, as he is about to score the only goal the Spartans needed for their 1-0 victory May 1.

Skyline nips Issaquah in KingCo boys soccer clash

See SOCCER, Page 12