Hope “The Surgeon” Lodell breaks out the gun show. (Rebecca Lodell photo)
Dinner time at Boomer’s Drive-In for the Storm and coach Ron Wright. (Kolby Doerge photo)
“We are more than a combined team from Mt. Vernon and Coupeville/South Whidbey. We have become a family that lifts each other up and stands behind one another when times get tough.”
Those thoughts from NW Storm coach Kolby Doerge perfectly capture what the select softball squad has accomplished.
It gives players such as Wolves Hope Lodell, Sarah Wright, Katrina McGranahan and Lauren Rose a way to build their skills, but also a way to build their characters.
And, if they win a bunch of games along the way, so much the better.
Pounding the ball with authority over the weekend, the Storm came close to bringing home another tourney title, but were turned away at the end.
“We won some and lost some,” said the philosophical Doerge.
The Storm opened with a hard-fought loss to the eventual tourney champ, falling in the final inning to the Bellingham Bash in a slugfest.
Mount Vernon’s Tyanna Wittman crushed a 225-foot grand slam to pace the Storm, while South Whidbey hurler Bella Northup tossed a “gem of a game.”
Bouncing right back from a loss in “the game of the weekend,” the Storm found themselves in a hole in game two.
Down 7-0 after a rough first inning, the Storm held firm and rallied, pouring in 14 runs of their own in a two-inning span to shred the Seattle Fury.
“It really tested the heart of the team,” Doerge said. “Giving up seven runs in the first inning I called a time out to give one message to the team. I said the rules say they have to let us bat once, too!
“Katrina was the pitcher in this game and the true measure of a leader is how they respond to adversity,” he added. “I gave her the option to come out after the first inning. She said no, took the ball and shut the door on a solid team from the city.
“As a coach that was the response I wanted! We both agreed afterwards that she showed maturity in the moment that will help her as her career progresses.”
From there, the Storm lost two of their final three, but ended things on a positive note, winning their final game Sunday.
Lodell and Wright earned MVP honors, with The Surgeon (Lodell) being tabbed in game two for a gorgeous running left-handed bunt.
Wright claimed game three honors for “her outstanding defense behind the plate and her consistent power at the plate.”
Rose broke out of a slump, as well, lashing a three-run home run against a Canadian squad.
“I had a quick message. Keep it simple, swing for the fence,” Doerge said. “The inning prior to the at-bat, I mention how one of the best hitters in baseball, Robinson Cano, couldn’t buy a hit, but, like Lauren, he was one solid hit away from getting back in the groove.
“She did just that.”
With next weekend’s Thunder in the Valley Tournament in Skagit County looming, Doerge sent his victorious squad back to their homes with a positive message ringing in their ears.
“My final post-game comments energized the girls,” Doerge said. “The one thing I know about the Thunder Tournament is that there is a Storm rolling in!!
“They almost came out of there cleats with excitement. Gotta love it!”
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