MOUNT VERNON When five Lakewood girls made it to Skagit Valley College by the start of their first July 11 game, friends and family started speculating how they would field the team.
With just Emily Burkholder, Kally Behen, Amanda and Becca Bean and Rachel Bachlund present, the team had a fielder, two pitchers and two catchers. Not to mention four pairs of athletic shoes among them.
For their first game, the Cougars borrowed a first baseman from Sedro-Woolley, a shortstop and an outfielder from game opponent Anacortes and a pair of shoes from the Lakewood fan base.
Also short an umpire, the teams agreed each catcher would call the game.
This is why I love summer ball, said one Lakewood mom.
Behen, who had pitched the entire spring season for the Cougars, took the mound. Bachlund caught the game, her third consecutive week catching a game for Lakewood.
Unfortunately for the Lakewood softball team, most of their hits and all their runs in the 10-3 loss came from borrowed players.
Burkholder had Lakewoods first hit but never made it to second base as Anacortes stopped her with a fielders choice off borrowed Sedro-Woolley batter Shelby Holmgren. Holmgren and fellow Lakewood stand-in Sara Brennan added runs for the Cougars when Brennan hit an infield homer to left field against her teammates.
With the arrival of another Lakewood player, Brennan returned to the Anacortes sideline where she avenged her Lakewood run with an RBI. Anacortes put up three runs in the bottom of the second inning and at least one more in every other inning for the win.
Lakewoods final run came in the fourth inning. Cougar third baseman Shay Diamond had an RBI to bat in shortstop Rachel Nelson, who was on loan from Anacortes.
With one week left in their summer schedule, Lakewood coach Steve Barker said hes getting a better idea of the talents of some of the teams new faces, especially Bachlund and Diamond.
This Bachlund girl was able to catch the whole game with our number one pitcher and played shortstop the second game, Barker said. But whether Bachlund, a freshman this fall, will be able to play with the team next spring is uncertain, he added.
Shes actually home-schooled, so I dont know whether shell be attending the high school or whether shell be home-schooled again. She played with some of our girls who knew her, Barker said.
He added that Diamond, an incoming senior, had been away from the sport for a few years, but retains good hand-eye coordination, which has been an asset to the team.
Barker said he thinks the girls have enjoyed the opportunity to play softball in a low-pressure environment, one of his primary goals for a summer season. A number of players who missed the July 11 game for fall sports camps should be back for a doubleheader to close the season July 18. The first game begins at 6 p.m.

At Skagit Valley College

Lakewood 0 2 0 1 0 3
Anacortes 0 3 4 2 1 10