The Olympia softball team’s bats kicked the 2026 season off with a strong start in a doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Auburn Riverside High School, but the Bears’ 14 runs in 11 innings were not enough in a 9-6 loss to Peninsula and a 16-8 rout to Enumclaw.
In the opener against Peninsula, Olympia’s Sydney Potvin drove in an RBI double in the first, and Peninsula answered with a two-run double in the second. Nia Huckaby scored Aliyah Eberle on an RBI double to tie the game in the second, and an error scored Potvin in the third to give Olympia a 3-2 lead.
A two-out rally helped the Seahawks pull ahead in the fourth. Peninsula crossed home plate three times, including two off Bears errors. The Seahawks added two more runs in the sixth and another two in the seventh.
Olympia’s Mariah Martin drove in a run in the sixth and the Bears collected two runs in the seventh. They loaded the bases in the seventh with no one out, and Potvin grounded into a fielder’s choice to score the first run before Olivia Wheeler was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
Bears starter Sydnee Chandler-Trent threw 3.2 innings, striking out two while allowing five hits, five runs (three earned) and two walks. Abby Crawford relieved her and tossed 3.1 frames, fanning four and surrendering four earned runs on five walks and five hits.
In the second game against Enumclaw, the Bears once again struck first. Eberle led off with a double and scored, and Abby Crawford crossed home plate after a walk and multiple defensive mishaps by the Hornets.
But Enumclaw’s offense was too powerful for Bears starter Izzy Falling. The Hornets tagged her for five runs on five hits in the first inning.
Sam Graham uncorked her first home run of the season with a shot over the left field wall in the second inning, and Enumclaw’s pitchers could not stop walking Olympia batters. Two walks of the five second-inning walks came with the bases loaded and tied the game at 5-5 for the Bears.
The Hornets blew the game open in the second inning, scoring a total of 11 runs to take a 16-5 lead. In the frame, they recorded seven hits, five walks and two hit batters. Enumclaw nearly batted around the lineup twice in the inning.
Olympia did its best to cut into the sizable margin, bringing three runs home in the fourth. Tyler Trujillo drove in a run with a groundout, and both Wheeler and Graham each delivered an RBI.
“The girls battled really hard today. The outcomes didn’t turn out the way we wanted, but there was a lot of growth, and the players learned a lot of what we need to improve on for future games,” Olympia head coach Drew Wellner said.
Olympia (0-2) will host Spanaway Lake at Stevens Field Tuesday night for the first of three home games next week.
