The Skyview Storm have not lost a true home softball game since 2011.
Of course, they have only played one game on campus since 2011.
“It’s a flashback,” senior Emily Dobbin said after the Storm beat Mountain View 5-1 on Friday afternoon at Skyview High School.
“It seems like high school went by in a blink of an eye. Now as seniors, it feels like it was not that long ago we were freshmen playing with the big dogs.”
Back then, Dobbin and Michelle Brincefield were instrumental in the Storm’s trip to the state’s final four. The Storm continued its winning tradition the past two seasons, too — including another trip to the Class 4A state tournament last year — but never really had a home game.
The softball facilities at Skyview were just not up to par.
Skyview has been using the Vancouver Girls Softball Association for its home games.
“VGSA is a great facility, and we really want to thank them for letting us play there,” said Brincefield, now in her fourth year as Skyview’s ace in the pitching circle.
Still, she and her teammates prefer to stay on campus.
“It was a bus ride to every game. You don’t get as many student fans,” Brincefield said. “It’s really great to see everybody come out to the game. We definitely appreciate the fans.”
Brincefield will soon be calling Las Vegas home. Not that one, though. She has signed to pitch at New Mexico Highlands in Las Vegas, N.M. Dobbin also is leaving the Northwest. She has signed with Kent State in Ohio.
They will always call Vancouver, and Skyview, home, though.
For this week, the Storm did get to play at home but they still will have to wait to play a game on their varsity field.
After a ton of work on the varsity and junior varsity fields, the Storm were looking forward to the 2014 campus debut. But while working on the sprinkler system on the varsity field, something went awry. The varsity field was flooded.
Skyview coach Kim Anthony said she told the players they could return to VGSA or play on the JV field.
“They just wanted a home game,” Anthony said.
The Storm got just that, and a victory, too.
SKYVIEW 5, MOUNTAIN VIEW 1
Mtn. View 000 010 0–1 4 1
Skyview 100 220 x–5 14 1
Mountain View
Pitching — Colleen Driscoll 4 IP, loss, 4 Ks; Kimmi Reed 2 IP, 3 Ks. Highlights — Bailey Gaspar 1-3, 2B; Katelyn Lukes 1-3, RBI; Driscoll 1-3; Reed 1-1, 2B.
Skyview
Pitching — Michelle Brincefield 7 IP, win, 8 Ks. Highlights — Emily Dobbin 3-4, RBI; Megan Settje 1-3, 2 RBI; Bobbi Bertsch 1-3; Emily Garcia 2-4, 2B, RBI; Katie Bittner 1-4; Brincefield 3-4; Erica Cook 1-2, 2B; Kayla Moore 1-2; Alexandra Barter 1-1.
