BRUSH PRAIRIE — After Evergreen opened Thursday’s game with a five-run first inning, there was no panic, no burying of heads and certainly no discouragement from Prairie.
And that was before the Falcons knew it would be one of those days where just about everything clicked at the plate.
Prairie proceeded to score seven runs in the following inning, sparking a back-and-forth offensive barrage that resulted in 34 combined hits and 29 runs between the 3A Greater St. Helens League foes.
The Falcons wound up thumping Evergreen 19-10 at Prairie High School on sunny, warm afternoon.
They did so while cheering and chanting in unison from the dugout. That can also describe the mood after the game. The Falcons (8-4, 4-0) remain undefeated in league.
As the players will admit, there seems to be a direct correlation between the volume and glee in which the team recites its in-game cheers and the results in the game.
Their favorite cheer, which goes, “move coach, get out the way” to the tune of a more explicit Ludacris song, is used after an inside pitch, but isn’t used often.
When it is, “it makes everybody giggle,” Prairie’s Kylee Snider said.
All smiles — that’s how loose Prairie was Thursday. It helped in a game when an early comeback was needed.
“As a team we’re pretty good coming from behind,” junior Ashley Shelton said. “Even if it’s the last inning and we’re down six runs we always come back. We always give it our all.”
But Prairie didn’t pull away until late.
The Plainsmen evened the game at 8-8 in the fourth inning, and made a late attempt to come back in the sixth.
An RBI double by Hailey DeHaven cut the Prairie lead to six in the top of the sixth inning and put runners on second and third.
But Prairie reliever Olivia Meyers struck out the ensuing batter to end of the inning — and escape a jam.
Then Snider hit a solo home run over the center field fence in the bottom of the sixth and Prairie’s bats remained alive until the lead was at nine.
Snider finished 4 for 5 at-bat with a double to go with her home run. Mallory Williams also went 4 for 5 and added two RBIs and a double. Eight Falcons finished with two or more hits.
DeHaven was one of three Plainsmen to log two RBIs. Lexi Henderson had a two-RBI double and Myia Ocampo scored two runners as a part of her two hits.
“Hitting consistently has been a struggle for this team,” Snider said. “Now that we’re able to hit and get those runs in that we need, we’re able to put that 19 up on the board and get that win.”
Even though Prairie has found success playing composed from behind this season, like it did early Thursday, the Falcons feel like it’s a tired tale.
To be their best, they can’t start sloppy, they said.
“We fall down at the beginning and we have to play from behind, which isn’t the best,” senior Clarissa Martinez said. “We are unstoppable if we can start strong.”
While Prairie insists its taking things one game at a time, the Falcons eye Kelso, which is also 4-0 after a 22-1 win over Fort Vancouver on Thursday. The Hilanders edged Prairie by two games last season for the 3A GSHL title and won both times the teams played — each time 1-0.
Only one of them will be undefeated in league after Tuesday, when they face off for the first time this season.
“That first place in league really sets us up for districts and sets us up for state, so it’s just the stepping stools to get there,” Snider said.
