Carazo brilliant, but Jackson softball edges Bonney Lake in meeting of state’s top programs
Bonney Lake High School softball, the top-ranked team in Class 3A this spring, made sure to stack the schedule this season with the state’s toughest programs.
The Panthers’ first three games in March were against three 4A contenders.
They routed Eastlake, 11-0, in their season opener. Two days later, they took 4A South Puget Sound League favorite Olympia to extra innings, eventually dropping a 4-3 walk-off loss in nine frames. They rallied with a 3-1 win over Battle Ground two days after that.
The Panthers played the state’s top-ranked 4A team in undefeated Bothell a week later, losing a close 7-5 contest.
Bonney Lake followed up with a nine-game winning streak against 3A Pierce County League opponents and defending 2A state champion Tumwater.
Friday afternoon, the Panthers traveled north to Mill Creek to go head-to-head with another 4A contender in Jackson.
The Timberwolves, currently considered the No. 2 team in 4A, ultimately edged the Panthers, 1-0, in a quick contest that featured shutdown performances from both starting pitchers.
Even after a narrow loss, Bonney Lake knows the value of playing opponents of this caliber throughout the spring.
“We love playing these games,” Panthers ace Bella Carazo said.
Carazo, the reigning 3A PCL player of the year and a two-time TNT All-Area pick, kept the Timberwolves off the base paths much of the contest.
“She spun the ball really well,” Bonney Lake coach Kate Zender said.
Jackson’s only hit in the game was a leadoff solo home run from shortstop Rachel Sysum on the first pitch of the frame.
The homer was the Fresno State commit’s 10th this season and also proved the game-winning run.
Carazo allowed the one home run while retiring 18 of the 19 batters she faced in a complete six-inning effort and struck out eight.
The senior right-hander has a 1.54 ERA across 50 innings in 10 appearances so far this spring with 81 strikeouts.
“She leads by example,” Zender said. “Just her command in the circle — the team feeds off that.”
Jackson starter Yanina Sherwood, a UNLV commit, held Bonney Lake scoreless for the first time this season in the win.
The Panthers got a pair of base hits — from Kyla Cross and Jess Eaton — in the game, but that was all Sherwood allowed.
The Timberwolves junior tossed seven scoreless innings, allowing the two hits while striking out nine and retiring 21 of 23.
The Panthers (12-3, 9-0 3A PCL) return to the South Sound for their final three games of 3A PCL play next week, and will look to close out what would be a sixth consecutive undefeated league title.
Bonney Lake then rounds out its nonleague schedule before the 3A West Central/Southwest district tournament begins later in May.
“I’m just super excited,” Carazo said of what is still ahead for the Panthers, who reached the 3A state semifinals last season and placed fourth in the tournament.
“I feel like we’re in a really good spot,” Zender said. “The team is very confident. They’ve got their own energy, their own vibe, which is really cool and unique.”
