EVERETT – At 4 foot 11, 105 pounds, Chloe Morgan does not look at all like a power hitter.
But for the second-straight year in the district softball tournament the little lefty hit a three-run homer over the fences at Phil Johnson Field.
They are her only two homers in school play, she said.
Hold on a second. She must have forgotten that just a few innings earlier she hit an inside the park home run to leftfield, sliding safely into home, to give Marysville-Pilchuck a 1-0 lead.
She must have been thinking of the over-the-fence variety, which she’s only had four of her entire life.
Morgan was not the only star of the game in the 12-1 six-inning win over Meadowdale.
With the score 1-0, McKenzie Justice, who is often a power hitter, blasted a two-run homer over the centerfield fence to make it 3-0. Justice let out a big smile when asked if that took the pressure off her pitching in what had been a very tight game.
Earlier she had a double off the fence in that same area that was less than a foot from being another home run. But she was left stranded.
Her hit opened the floodgates as the Tommies scored 11 runs that inning. Lillianne Fischer hit a towering double, Sydney Zachry singled, Lauren Lewis beat out a bunt and freshman Cassidy Phelps smacked yet another home run as the Tomahawks won going away.
The Mavs scored one in the bottom of the sixth for the final score.
As a result of the win, M-P moved on to play in the semifinals against Snohomish, and the Panthers eked out an 8-6 win.
That moved M-P into the consolation bracket. It will play at 6 p.m. Thursday, possibly against Arlington, which plays at 4 p.m. Marysville Getchell also plays at 4 and will play Everett at 6 if it wins.
Lakewood’s girls softball team also is playing, but in the District 2A tournament in Sedro-Woolley. Its game is Wednesday at 4 and will play another game win or lose today.
Against Snohomish, M-P ran up against a red-hot team that has won 20 straight games, earning its fifth-straight state berth.
The Tommies trailed 4-0, but cut the lead to 4-2 in the sixth then to 8-6 in the seventh after a three-run homer by Justice. But the rally fell just short.
Also Wednesday, Marysville Getchell fell to Snohomish 11-2 and Arlington lost a five inning game to Edmonds-Woodway 22-2, knocking both into the consolation bracket.
MG actually was in the game against the Panthers, going up 1-0 in the first, but then falling behind 4-1. Shannon Patton hit a home run to keep the Chargers close before Snohomish rallied late in the game to put it away.