Mariners Begin Season; Warriors Softball Start Looks Promising

The big boys step up to the plate today as Major League Baseball begins another season. For fans in the Pacific Northwest, it looks like it’s going to be another long year for the hometown Seattle Mariners, who lost 101 games last year. Most prognosticators predict the Mariners will finish fourth in their division, which is not good since there are only three other teams: the Oakland A’s, Texas Rangers and the Los Angeles Angels.

The Mariners’ season starts Friday when they visit Oakland for a three-game series. Last year’s American League Cy Young award-winner, Felix Hernandez, gets the call from the M’s, and he’ll be followed by Jason Vargas on Saturday and Doug Fister on Sunday. The two other starters for the M’s are Eric Bedard, who hasn’t pitched in a game since 2009 but has looked sharp in spring training, and promising rookie Michael Pineda.

On the hitting side, the Mariners look to improve from last year’s total of 513 runs, the lowest since the designated hitter era began in 1973. Ichiro will be gunning for his 11th straight 200-hit season, but the fate of the team hinges on the big three—Milton Bradley, Jack Cust and Justin Smoak—to produce and drive him home.  

The Mariners’ first home game is April 8 when they host the Cleveland Indians. You can drive down to Safeco Field, of course, but is also available.

Closer to home, there is another option to the Mariners. The pitches are fast, the action intense, the players dedicated. The Edmonds-Woodway Warriors fastpitch softball team is off to a good start under coach Mike Venable. There’s not much room for error, as the Warriors field a team with only 10 players. Injuries could force Venable to call up players from the junior varsity squad.

The Warriors are anchored by the battery of two sophomores, pitcher Katelynn Lafferty and catcher Cassady Orstad. Unlike the pros and high school baseball pitchers, girls’ softball hurlers are often expected to pitch every game, and Lafferty has stepped up to the challenge.

In addition to Lafferty and Orstad, the Warriors feature four other sophomores: Sydney Forseth, outfielder-catcher; Lauren Nguyen, second base; Ana Matulovich, first base-third base (Venable says she is the top newcomer); and Brooklyn Bailey, third base-first base. The team is rounded out by junior Michelle Rumpel, shortstop-outfield; junior Sydney Daniel, first base-outfield; senior Kristin Hayes, outfield-shortstop; and senior Mia Webster, outfield.

The Warriors are 3-0 in the Wesco South and 3-2 overall, with their latest win coming Tuesday against Cascade of Everett. Lafferty went the distance, striking out six batters in seven innings for the 2-1 win. Webster scored the winning run in the sixth inning, but a play in the second inning was the one that helped save the game for the Warriors. With two out and a Cascade player on second running with the pitch, Forseth fielded a sharp single to right field and threw a strike to Orstad at home plate, who tagged out the sliding runner.

“We’re a young team, but well-balanced with speed, some power and line-drive hitters,” said Venable, in his fifth season as coach. “Senior co-captains Mia Webster and Kristin Hayes provide our leadership. Our success will depend on Katelynn Lafferty’s pitching, who is our main pitcher with such a small team. Sydney Daniel will lead off. She was one of our leading hitters last year.”

The Warriors’ next game is Friday at 4 p.m. against Mountlake Terrace at Edmonds-Woodway.