RIDGEFIELD — On a day with clear skies and Mount St. Helens looming in the backdrop, Ridgefield High School served as the setting for two top softball teams — and two of Clark County’s best pitchers — meeting for the first time this season.
Woodland sophomore Kelly Sweyer could feel the energy during warm-ups. Her pitcher, Olivia Grey, who followed strikeouts with animated fist-pumps and yells, delivered the energy on Thursday afternoon, tossing 14 strikeouts and only giving up two hits to help Woodland defeat the Spudders 2-0, remain unblemished in league play and take sole possession of first in the 2A Greater St. Helens League.
Ridgefield’s answer in the circle, Syracuse commit Kaia Oliver, kept the Spudders in the game, as the two rivaling pitchers whisked through batters — and innings — quickly, leaving little margin for error.
It’s what overflowed Ridgefield’s two grandstands with spectators.
“Kaia and I have played against each other and with each other for a long time, so definitely there was a lot of competitiveness on the field,” Grey, a Portland State commit, said. “But it was definitely a pitcher’s duel, it was a lot of fun pitching in it.”
Woodland finished 4-8 in league last season and fell short of qualifying for state. This year, with Grey leading the charge, the Beavers (12-0, 6-0) have been flawless. In six league games, they have put up 50 runs opposite one run allowed.
In that stretch Grey has given up just seven total hits, with three hitless outings — one of which was a complete game no-hitter.
On Thursday, she kept that rolling.
She deflected credit to her catcher and the rest of the Beavers’ defense, who were spared much of the heavy lifting due to Grey’s efficiency.
Oliver and Grey each had seven strikeouts through four innings.
When Grey closed out the second inning with a strikeout, she jumped toward the dugout, elated, pumping her fist. Oliver took notice. The back-and-forth nature of the pitching duel fueled Oliver, as it did Grey.
“It definitely kicks in to gear for me,” said Oliver, who dealt 10 strikeouts and gave up five hits. “I think, oh yeah, let’s kick some butt.
In the fourth inning, Woodland’s Kaily Christensen singled on a hard grounder to left field. Two batters later, Maddi Bunger sent a single into right field and Christensen advances to third. With two outs, Oliver had a runner in scoring position.
Three pitches later, she’d ended the inning.
“I live for this,” Oliver said. “It’s what I love. It’s so fun.”
But in the bottom of the sixth, Oliver found herself in with a Sweyer on second after a Ridgefield error.
On the next at-bat, Christensen sent a screaming line drive double to the left field fence, causing Sweyer to hustle toward home plate. Spudder catcher Emma Jenkins caught the ball at home plate just in time for — much to the chagrin of Ridgefield coach Dusty Anchors — Sweyer to collide with her, knocking the ball ajar for Woodland’s first run. Maddi Bunger added a double from there, and the Spudders couldn’t reciprocate the offensive production.
“I think we had to get that final push. It just came down to who wanted it more,” Sweyer said. “We all had the heart and the effort. Things happening at the right time, people doing the right stuff helped us win the game.”
The Spudders, who made it to state last season after finishing tied for first in the league, will look to even the series next Wednesday when the teams meet again and climb back into a first-place tie.
Grey said her and Oliver didn’t talk before the matchup, but the two will probably congratulate each other afterward. They won’t have much time before a rematch. The teams face off again Wednesday at Woodland High School, where they will be playing for postseason seeding.
Oliver said the Spudders look forward to the rematch. The Beavers insist they’ll be ready.
“It’s going to be fun,” Sweyer said. “They’re going to be out for blood and we’re going to be on our home field.”
