HOCKINSON — Kaia Oliver has trust in her teammates, and the Spudders have trust when the junior pitcher is in the circle.
And that trust was on full display Wednesday.
Oliver threw six shutout innings, Sarah Jenkins went 5 for 5 and seven Spudders collected at least one hit as Ridgefield rolled to a 12-0 win over Hockinson in six innings.
“My girls always have my back on and off the field,” Oliver said. “I wasn’t worried at all (when runners reached base). I have confidence behind me.”
Oliver traded zeros with Hockinson’s Abby Runyon for two innings before Ridgefield broke through in the third inning.
The Spudders loaded the bases with one out when Calli Martin’s single and Madison Syring’s walk brought home the first two runs of the game.
One out later, Oliver’s two-run single made it 4-0. Hits by Karli Oliver and Jenkins capped the seven-run inning.
“Our lineup top to bottom has been doing really well,” Oliver said. “And even on the field, it shows, so we’ve been doing great. Our whole team, even the girls on the bench, are doing their jobs.”
Kaia Oliver added a two-run single and Madalyn Chapman had a two-run double in the sixth.
In the circle, Oliver limited the Hawks to six hits. Jenna Remenar was 3 for 3 for Hockinson. Oliver notched eight strikeouts, helping the Spudders improve to 9-1 overall and 4-0 in the 2A Greater St. Helens League.
The win gives Ridgefield some momentum with games coming against Columbia River (3-1 in league) on Wednesday and a showdown against Woodland (5-0) on Thursday.
“We feel confident and our energy is up,” Oliver said. “We’re feeling good. We’ll do fine.”
