Oroville’s Reinna Quick is brought home on an Emily Graham triple last week against the Waterville Shockers. The Hornets easily won each o” title=”310a” width=”” height=”” class=”size-FULL”>

Photo by Gary A. DeVon

Oroville’s Reinna Quick is brought home on an Emily Graham triple last week against the Waterville Shockers. The Hornets easily won each o

OROVILLE – Oroville’s Lady Hornets are attracting loyal fans wherever they go as they play in their most successful season since the Hornets started playing fastpitch softball.

The girls are 10 and four for the season and nine and three in the NCW 2B League. Last week, Thursday, April 24, they put away the Waterville Shockers in a double header going just seven innings. They won the first game 18 to one in four innings and the second 18 to two in three innings.

The Hornet’s Alex Egerton pitched in both games. “I had intended to have her pitch only three or four innings in the first game,” said Coach Rick Mead.

“We had a couple of nice hits. Lizzy McKinney scored four runs, going three for four. Karrisa Linstrand also went three for four and Emily Graham got a triple,” Mead said.

The previous Tuesday we played Manson in a doubleheader,” said Mead. “The first game was 20 to 13 in seven innings and the second was 16 to one in four innings.”

Egerton pitched in the first game and Hayley Naclerio pitched in the second.

“Everybody hit well against Manson, Kayla McKinney had a triple, three RBIs in the first and four RBIs in the second,” said Mead. “She’s been hitting the long ball really solid…she’s our clean-up hitter.”

Mead says it has been a real team effort with everyone contributing to the Hornet’s success.

He said that Lizzy McKinney, the team’s only senior, scores a lot and gets on base about 80 percent of the time. “She’s walked a lot… she’s very, very intelligent and knows the game pretty well.”

He says McKinney and Graham, a junior, have really shown leadership on the team.

“Other juniors that are a positive force for the Hornets are Linstrand and Kaylyn Key,” Mead said. “Melissa Pancerzeuski, when she gets behind the ball, puts a lot of power behind it and Lindsey Marringer has a strong bat.”

He describes Chandra Hutsell as an “awesome utility player” he can put anywhere.

Serena Carper has stepped up at third base, according to Mead. “She really does a good job.”

The coach also says the team has a good crop of freshmen in Ashley Glover, Naclerio, Reinna Quick and Kirsten Egerton.

One of Oroville’s losses this season came at the hands of north county rivals the Tonasket Tigers. The Hornets beat Tonasket in the first game they played against them 16 to eight.

“The next week we kind of had a big head and they beat us 15 to four,” Mead said.

Their most recent losses came this weekend against the Kittitas Coyote on the road. The Hornets lost 11 to one in the first game of the double-header and 16 to five in the second.

“We just really got back on our heels, we were not ready and they had a stud pitcher,” said Mead. “She can throw in the 80 miles per hour range pretty easily.”

The coach said his girls started to adjust in the first game by about the fourth inning, but by that time it was too late. He said it went much the same in the second.

Kirsten Egerton went four for five and was able to hit against the Lady Coyote’s pitcher.

“Everyone started to hit against her she only got three strike-outs, but her defense helped her out,” said Mead.