LACEY — Sam Harding and his North Thurston coaches flung around a buzzword when talking to their team in the postgame huddle.
“Dawgs.”
Assistant coach Arista Honey told the Rams that she had been waiting for the “dawg” to come out of them this season, and that moment arrived against Peninsula Monday afternoon, even in defeat.
Just over a month after losing to the Seahawks 10-0 in Gig Harbor, North Thurston scrapped with one of the top teams in the Puget Sound League and lost 9-6, snapping a six-game winning streak. The Rams showed their resolve, responding after every Peninsula run with one of their own.
And the cherry on top was Peninsula’s coaches telling the North Thurston coaches in the handshake line that the North Thurston field was the “house of horrors” because the Rams were so energetic and loud.
“They just battled all game, from the first pitch to the last pitch,” Harding said. “It’s just the way they showed up. They’re young, and sometimes they can get overwhelmed by a great team like that. The fact that they bought into themselves like they’ve been doing the last couple of weeks really impressed me. That’s a huge step for us moving forward.”
North Thurston pitcher Syriahs Trolson struggled with her command early, walking two batters in the first inning before an error brought a runner home for Peninsula. Meghan Webster’s two-run single made it 3-0 through the first frame.
Trolson singled to lead off the second inning and came around to score on an error for North Thurston’s first run. Peninsula opened up a 6-1 advantage in the top of the third, with multiple infield errors by the Rams keeping the rally going.
In the bottom of the third, the top of the North Thurston batting order did what it’s done all season: put the ball in play and produce runs. After a leadoff single by Abigail McBride out of the nine slot, Haagen doubled and Sara Halterman popped a sacrifice fly to score McBride. Haagen sprinted home on a wild pitch to make it 6-3.
North Thurston’s defense rebounded in the fourth, recording all three outs before Peninsula’s 7-8-9 hitters all singled in the fifth, with the ninth hitter Claire Smith driving in a run on her hit. Yet another infield mishap by North Thurston loaded the bases, and Abby Hoyt and Vivien Sweet each drove in a run.
Facing a six-run deficit, the Rams immediately sent a message that they weren’t going to go away quietly. On the first pitch of the bottom of the fifth inning against Sweet, Haagen lined a solo home run over the 8-foot fence in center field for her first bomb of the season. As she ran the bases, she paused because she thought the liner hit the fence and didn’t realize it cleared the fence.
“That was amazing to see. She never comes up and talks about trying to hit home runs. She’s a line drive hitter. That’s what she consistently has been all year,” Harding said of Haagen. “That’s huge for her. She’s already a confident player, but that was against one of the top pitchers in the league.”
Syriahs Trolson allowed the first two runners to reach base in the sixth inning but did not allow anyone to reach third base. In the bottom of the sixth, Haagen received the same treatment that her cousin — Timberline phenom Nevaeh Haagen — has often received by earning an intentional walk. Isabella Haagen looked around momentarily before realizing that she wouldn’t see a pitch with a runner on base and two outs.
Instead, Paige Guyer made them pay, hitting the left-field fence on a two-run double. Suddenly, the Rams’ deficit was only three. But the Rams couldn’t inch any closer as Halterman popped out with Guyer in scoring position.
Peninsula led off the top of the seventh inning with the top of its lineup. McKenna Peterson and Trolson battled through an 11-pitch at bat, one that saw six consecutive foul balls before Peterson walked. With one out, Sweet doubled, but Haagen gunned down Peterson at home for the second throwout at home plate of the game for North Thurston. Trolson struck out Izzy Michaels to end the scoreless inning.
Her sister Saihdee Trolson got the seventh-inning rally started with a double to left, sending the Rams dugout into a frenzy. However, Syriahs Trolson, Alyvia Belton nor Saidie Stoddard could get the big swing to put North Thurston in a position to tie or win the game.
Harding inserted Stoddard as a pinch hitter for Lucia Green, who was dealing with an injury, for the final at bat with a runner in scoring position and two outs. Although Stoddard struck out, Harding said she earned the opportunity to hit in that spot with her work in the batting cage.
“She has been doing awesome. She’s been working really hard in the cages. We all thought that she deserved an opportunity to hit,” Harding said. “I would definitely make that same decision again.”
Syriahs Trolson pitched a complete game, allowing nine runs, only four of which were earned, on 11 hits and six walks while striking out four.
The Rams (8-6, 5-5 Puget Sound League) have another huge opportunity to cement themselves as a postseason contender with a visit to PSL Nisqually leader Timberline (12-3, 12-1 PSL) Wednesday afternoon. The Blazers defeated North Thurston 13-0 on March 30.
“We know Timberline and what they bring. They’re our crosstown rivals. We’re very familiar with each other,” Harding said. “If we can come out and play like this, I think we’ll definitely give them a run for their money and be competitive.”
