Senior helps Knights blast Moose, advance to state

WASILLA — Colony senior Saige Stefanksi’s trip around the bases helped the Knights ensure another trip to the state tournament.

Stefanski cracked her first career home run over the left-center field fence in the first inning to spark the Knights during a 14-4 win over Palmer Wednesday at the Alcantra Softball Complex in Wasilla.

Stefanski and fellow senior Devan Clark came up big for the Knights, who played their last Railbelt Conference game before the state tourney.

The Moose capitalized on a hit batsmen and an error in the first inning. Juniors Brooke Simmerman and Caitlin Scott scored for Palmer. But Stefanski answered in the bottom half of the inning with her home run.

“I was still in shock. I think it picked everybody up a little bit, though, let us know we could do it,” Stefanski said.

Freshman pitcher Mack Everett settled down in the second inning, retiring all three Palmer batters with weak ground balls to third base.

The Knights tied the game in the second inning. Clark hit one of her two doubles and was driven in by Chelsea Friesen on a sacrifice fly.

The Knights opened up a lead they would not relinquish in the fourth inning. Friesen hit the first of her two doubles as part of a four-run Colony fourth.

“She has been hitting really well. It’s great to get production from just a sophomore,” said Colony assistant coach Haylee Fishback.

Everett scattered six runs on four hits and struck out eight. Sophomore Suzanne Grogan pitched for the Moose.

The Moose came knocking on the door again in the top of the fifth. Sophomore Jenna Baker scored on an error. Captain Brooke Simmerman walked to the plate with two outs and two runners in scoring position. Simmerman popped a ball just over the third basemen’s head, but Clark covered the whole left side of the infield to make the catch and avert the scoring threat.

Clark and Friesen recorded back-to-back doubles again in the fifth, and the Knights scored three runs.

In the sixth, Stefanski hit another deep shot to right field. The right fielder made an error and two runs scored.

Stefanski finished with four runs. Clark had three RBIs. The game was called in the sixth due to the 10-run mercy rule.

“I was real pleased with Chelsea. Our seniors came up big, too. It shows leadership, and it’s great that they get to go out with a bang,” Fishback said.

The Knights play Soldotna in a doubleheader on Saturday before heading to the state tournament, which starts June 1 in Anchorage.

Contact Tim Rockey at 352-2252 or timothy.rockey@gmail.com. Follow him @trockeynews on

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