Liberty Bell’s Devin Surface pitched four winning games last week, and also hit well.
The Liberty Bell High School softball team ran its winning streak to double-digits with four victories last week, including a win in its first district playoff game.
After the Lady Lions’ 10-0 win over Waterville-Mansfield at home on Saturday (May 6), they have won 10 games in a row dating back to early April. Liberty Bell put that streak on the line Tuesday at Lake Roosevelt in another district playoff game. The Lady Lions and the Raiders played virtually even in two games earlier this season.
Before the district contest with Waterville-Mansfield, Liberty Bell trounced Manson, 33-6 and 19-1, in an away double-header on May 1, and finished the regular season with a 15-7 win at Soap Lake on May 2.
At Manson, Devin Surface pitched both games for Liberty Bell and had two multiple-hit games, going 3-for-5 with a double in the first game and 2-for-4 in the second.
In the first contest, Nadine Treise banged out four hits including a double, Lauren Ochoa punched another home run, Ali Palm was 3-for-3 and Janie McMillan had two hits including a single, coach Lee Pilkinton reported.
In the second game, Lauren Ochoa had two more hits including a triple, Ali Palm was 1-for-3 with a double, Emily Paul was 1-for-3 with a single, and Hannah Bakke was also 1-for-3 with a single. Pilkinton commended the Lady Lions for committing only one error.
At Soap Lake, Surface was again the winning pitcher and added a double and triple at the plate. Lauren Ochoa was 3-for-5 with a triple, and Paul was 1-for-5 with a single.
Surface finished her undefeated week with a home-field shutout of Waterville-Mansfield, striking out five. She was backed by good defense, as the Lady Lions again committed only one error. Lauren Ochoa owned the batter’s box, with two doubles and a single. Tommie Ochoa was 1-for-3, Nadine Treise 1-for-3, Ali Palm 2-for-3, McMillan 2-for-3, Katie Labanauskas 2-for-3 with a double, and the Dammanns — Megan and Haley — each added a single.
Last year, the Lady Lions finished the season with an 8-12 record and just missed the playoffs. They advanced to the state tournament in 2015. This year, Liberty Bell is 15-4 overall, with one tie against Lake Roosevelt.
