Warrior hurls shutout to blank Palmer 5-0

WASILLA — Wasilla freshman Cassidy Edwards pitched six shutout innings Thursday to lead the Warriors to a 5-0 win over Valley rival Palmer.

It was the Warriors’ first Southcentral Conference win of the season, while the Moose remain winless.

Palmer sophomore Suzanne Grogan gave up two walks and a single to load the bases in the first inning, but the Moose hurler would record a key strikeout and get out of the inning unscathed. Both pitchers put up eight strikeouts in the game.

“I think that was one of my best pitching performances,” Grogan said after the game.

Wasilla baserunners in the first inning would be the only scoring threat for most of the game as Grogan scattered four hits over six innings.

For the Warriors, Edwards controlled hitters with high-velocity power pitches that pounded the strike zone, contrasting Grogan’s finesse, often running batters to a full count. Both underclassmen pitchers received help from stellar infield defense, but in the end, Edwards only allowed two hits in the shutout.

The Wasilla coaching staff praised Edwards and her defense.

“The defense behind her was amazing. We did not have an error,” said assistant coach Brent Elkins.

In the fourth inning, Edwards helped her cause by hitting a fly ball that fell into shallow center field, then stealing her way to third base before scoring on a passed ball.

Palmer tried to rally in the next inning with a Talea Fiscus single to right. After a fielder’s choice, Grogan stole second, but was stranded at third as the side was retired.

Just as the Moose fought Wasilla's run with a scoring threat of their own, the Warriors came back the next inning to bust the game wide open. A Venna Allen single followed by an error and a walk left the bases loaded when Grogan struck out the next batter for the first out of the inning. The Warriors capitalized on the runners, piling on four more runs to finish off the bottom of the fifth.

The Moose were retired in order in the bottom of the sixth.

“Sometimes just one miss will get them discouraged, but that happens in any sport. It's about being able to pick yourself up. They improve every single game, so I'm really proud of them,” said Palmer head coach Shanna Omer.

Contact Tim Rockey at tim.rockey@frontiersman.com or 352-2252.