Bruins Rally Past Shorewood in Sixth, Strengthen Wesco 3A/2A Title Bid

EVERETT — Cascade High School's softball team, long a struggling program, kept its breakthrough season going Monday afternoon with a 6-2 victory over Shorewood at Phil Johnson Ballfields. The win, the Bruins' seventh in a row, firmly established them as contenders in the wide-open Wesco 3A/2A.

Abigail Surowiec's two-run homer sparked a five-run sixth inning that erased a 2-1 deficit. Until then, Cascade had managed only two hits against Shorewood senior ace Rebecca Carson. Coach Mike Perrine credited his hitters' ability to adjust. "The more you see these pitchers, the easier they come to hit," he said, adding that seeing Carson for the third time was "the difference-maker."

The rally began when senior Katelyn Pryor led off the inning with a bunt single. Surowiec then sent a pitch over the left-center field fence for a 3-2 lead and jumped on home plate as her teammates mobbed her. Junior Alexa Hamshaw and sophomore Jaidyn Wilson followed with back-to-back doubles to make it 4-2. Wilson scored on a bunt by junior Taylor Browne, and senior Sarah Anderson's sacrifice fly pushed the margin to 6-2.

Hamshaw also dominated in the circle, pitching a complete game. She allowed two runs on seven hits, struck out eight and walked none. Her biggest moment came in the fourth inning, when she worked out of a bases-loaded jam with consecutive strikeouts. Perrine said a game without walks gives a team "a pretty good shot."

Shorewood opened the scoring in the first inning, when Carson tripled down the right-field line and scored on a groundout. Cascade tied it in the fourth after Surowiec walked, moved up on Hamshaw's single and a wild pitch, and scored on a throwing error. Sophomore Eliana Alsdorf put Shorewood back in front in the sixth with a run-scoring double over the left fielder's head. Carson struck out 10 and walked two over six innings, giving up five earned runs and seven hits.

The result stands out against Cascade's recent history. The Bruins had endured seven consecutive losing seasons, going 31-101 over that stretch, including 2-11 in last year's abbreviated campaign. At 10-4 overall and 8-1 in league play, they already have their most wins in a season since 2013, when they won the Wesco 4A South title and finished 19-4.

Hamshaw, Surowiec and shortstop Ashlyee Bloch, all juniors, have led the turnaround in a young lineup with just two seniors. Hamshaw is batting .388 with five home runs, Surowiec is hitting .314 with four, and Bloch is at .509. Perrine, who became head coach in 2020, said the trio has been "the rock for this team." He noted that they lost their freshman season to COVID, making last year a steep learning curve.

Cascade now sits in a four-way tie atop the loss column in the 16-team league standings with Snohomish (11-3, 8-1), Monroe (10-2, 7-1) and Everett (9-1, 6-1). Shorewood, which fell to 12-4 and 9-2 in league play, dropped to fifth, one game back in the loss column. The Stormrays are also on the rise: they went 10-3 last year, their first winning record in at least a decade, and have already topped that win total this season, including a 2-1 win over Snohomish on March 25. They have four league games left, including one against Monroe.

Cascade has six league games remaining, ending with a pivotal three-game stretch against Snohomish, Everett and Monroe. Hamshaw said it has been fun to watch opponents' mentality change when they see the Bruins can win, and Surowiec embraced the role of outsider. "We're definitely underestimated," she said. "It's fun being the underdog."