Maddie Johnson started the comeback. Sami Good finished it.
Trailing 4-1 in the bottom of the third inning against Ketchikan, Johnson’s two-run homer to right field powered a three-run inning that knotted the game at four. Four innings later, Good stole home in the bottom of the seventh to give the Juneau-Douglas High School softball team (4-4) a 6-5 win at Melvin Park Thursday night.
After trading runs in the fifth and sixth innings, Good led off the seventh inning with a single and made it around to third base with two outs gone. With the game tied at five, the senior stole home after Taylor Moody’s low pitch deflected off her Kayloni Bermudez’s glove — bouncing a little over 5 feet from the base.
“I didn’t want to make Mia pitch another inning, so I was like, ‘I got to get there,’” Good said not long after her game-winning steal of home plate.
Bermudez dove head first to try to make the tag out, but Good was safe.
It was the third conference game this season between the two schools which has been determined by one run. Two weeks ago in Ketchikan, JDHS won 12-11 before losing 17-16 the following day.
“It comes to down to pitching pretty much,” Johnson said of the games between Ketchikan and JDHS.
Both Ketchikan’s Taylor Moody and JDHS’ Mia Loree pitched with runners on base for much of the game. Moody gave up seven hits and Loree walked 10 batters.
Loree’s outing was aided in part by her infielders’ arms — notably catcher Morgan Balovich and shortstop Good. Both made numerous force outs at first base with textbook fielding skills.
“I usually don’t get this many balls in games,” Good said. “Last year I did a lot of work in the off season so I think I’ve really improved (my fielding).”
Payton Simmons had two hits and two RBIs for the Ketchikan.
JDHS plays Sitka Friday at 6 p.m. at Melvin Park. The Wolves lost to Thunder Mountain 9-1 on Thursday.
Thunder Mountain High School softball looks to win its sixth consecutive game of the season against Ketchikan at Dimond Park at 6 p.m. Friday.
• Contact sports reporter Nolin Ainsworth at 523-2272 or nolin.ainsworth@juneauempire.com.
