MARYSVILLE The Marysville fastpitch team hosted Lake Stevens March 29 and what proved a close match-up went an extra inning before Lake Stevens Jordan Rumsey batted in the decisive run in the eighth to hand M-P a 4-3 loss and an 0-4 record in Wesco North play.
Both teams sparked early on offense in the game. The first six batters in Lake Stevens batting lineup got a piece of M-P freshman Jenifer Rosies pitches as Lexy Rubin hit a double in the Vikings first at bat and two others got on base. Rubin would run in for Lake Stevens, but M-P held off other runners as second baseman Kristina Sherriff connected twice with Skyler Peterson at first base to end the inning.
The Tomahawks responded almost as quickly. Second up, Rosie hit a single. A few errant Lake Stevens pitches later, and senior shortstop Miranda Rosebrook was walked, joining her on base. The pair was swept in as Peterson slammed the ball into center field, making it to third base on a missed dive by the Lake Stevens outfielder.
Though going another four at bats, Marysville would get no more hits that inning, limiting Petersons opportunities to strike home.
A pair of controversial safe calls at first and second base in the top of the third inning had Tomahawk fans up in arms, but the protest fell on deaf ears. A double in the same inning batted the runner in and Lake Stevens tied the game at 2-2. A rotation of the Tomahawk infield late in the fourth inning did not faze the Vikings who struck again in the fifth, this time facing Rosebrook on the mound.
Rosies second run for M-P in the fifth was destined to be the Tomahawks last of the game.
Defensive play on both sides maintained the 3-3 tie long enough to require an eighth inning, but the Tomahawks were unable to put together an offensive drive for the win or extra inning.
The close loss was M-Ps second that week.
I was excited. We were in the game. The intensity level was up, said M-P head coach KT Allyn. It was a bummer to lose by one point for the second time in a week.
Allyn added that she was happy with the pitching from Rosie and Rosebrook, and singled out Petersons offensive production. The junior went 3-for-4 and had two RBI.
Within minutes of the games end, the team sat down and assessed their individual goals in goal books Allyn has the girls keep. She added a few goals of her own for the team.
Well be working on our decisions on the base path and our fly ball communication, Allyn said. And we just gotta keep thinking positively. We could have won either of those games.

At M-P H.S.

Marysville 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 3
Lake Stevens 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 4