North Kitsap softball flexing its first-inning muscles on offense
One of the big reasons North Kitsap's softball team is off to a 3-0 start this spring is the work the Vikings have done in the first inning at the plate.
Against Klahowya in the team's March 13 season-opener at Klahowya, North Kitsap scored four runs in the first inning. The Vikings won 19-4. North Kitsap played South Kitsap on the road March 15 and prevailed 11-5 after putting two runs across in the first inning.
Most recently, in Tuesday's Olympic League 2A opener in Poulsbo, North Kitsap made a 3-0 lead after one inning stand up in a 5-4 win against Olympic.
That's 10 combined runs in the first inning against three teams that qualified for the postseason in 2022. The Vikings have yet to trail in a game this season, thanks in part to their ability to jump on opponents early.
"We're got people on the top of the order who get on base and make things happen, right?" North Kitsap head coach Clay Blackwood said while turning to senior Mackenzie Phillips after the victory over the Trojans. Phillips is leading off for the Vikings this spring after batting second/third in 2022.
Phillips, who plays catcher and shortstop, is hitting .667 with two doubles, a triple, four walks, four RBI and a team-high eight runs through three teams. She's reached base 11 times in 14 plate appearances and is such a tough out because she almost always puts the ball in play. The Oregon Institute of Technology commit hasn't struck out this season and went down on strikes "maybe" once last year, Blackwood said.
"She's such a great hitter," the coach added. "She finds ways to get on base."
Here's the thing: it's not just Phillips who's taking quality swings at the plate. North Kitsap is hitting .400 as a team and 13 players have recorded at least one RBI through three games. Kasey Wallace leads the team with two home runs and seven RBI. She was one of North Kitsap players who hit three consecutive home runs in the Vikings' win over South Kitsap. Sophomore Reese Anderson and senior Julia Schuchart were the other players who hit round-trippers off Wolves hurdler Kamdyn Hagerty.
"We saw the ball really well that day across the board," Blackwood said.
The game against Olympic required a bit of fortitude from the Vikings after the Trojans' Hannah Linn tied the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the third inning on a three-run homer. North Kitsap responded with runs in the bottom of the third and fourth to regain the lead against Olympic sophomore pitcher Brenda Morrison.
"Brenda is tough on the mound," said Blackwood, whose team placed second in the Olympic League 2A standings last year and lost two of three games against the Trojans, including once in the district playoffs. "We struggled against her last year. She kind of owned us at the plate last year."
Phillips said she and her teammates spent a bunch of time in the preseason working on their swings, either hitting off a tee or off a machine inside North Kitsap's auxiliary gym. It's not exciting stuff, but "you've got to do what you've got to do," Phillips said.
Something that does get the Vikings' blood pumping is when they step to the plate at the start of the game — or the start of an inning — and that first batter gets on base. It's green-light time for scoring opportunities.
"The first hit gives energy, it gets us excited," Phillips said. "Then everyone starts hitting."
This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: North Kitsap softball offense has Vikings off to a strong start
