It wasn’t pretty, but Kodiak softball is moving on in the Northern Lights Conference Championships.
In a game that took nearly 3 hours, top-seeded Kodiak outlasted upset-minded Homer 14-12 on a rainy Thursday afternoon in Homer.
The Bears move to a 3 p.m. game today against No. 3 Kenai. A victory would hand Kodiak its fifth straight berth to the Division II State Championships and a spot in Saturday’s championship game at 12:30 p.m.
Kodiak is searching for its first NLC title since 2014 and first since the tournament was established in 2017.
Reigning seven-time champion Homer was not a pushover on its soggy home field. Despite losing to Kodiak 16-1 and 10-2 during the regular season, the Mariners would not go away.
No. 5 Homer, which upset No. 4 Soldotna 15-9 in Thursday’s first game, held leads of 3-1 and 4-3 before a six-run fourth inning put Kodiak up 9-4.
The Mariners didn’t blink, matching the Bears’ six runs in the fifth to go back up 10-9.
Kodiak went up for good with a five-run fifth.
Kodiak unleashed 11 hits, with leadoff hitter Ashlyn Bolen setting the tone. The senior center fielder went 2 for 3 with a triple, three runs scored and an RBI.
Shanoah Spear picked up the win from inside the circle and drove in four runs by going 2 for 3 with a double and three runs scored.
Spear relieved starting pitcher Danica Howell in the fifth inning and finished the game with four strikeouts and one walk. She allowed two runs on five hits.
Howell had one of the most interesting statistical lines of the game. The sophomore hurler fanned 10, walked 11 and allowed 10 runs — nine earned — on five hits.
Offensively, Howell tripled home a run, while Kate Holland went 2 for 3 with three runs scored an RBI. Hailee Henslee added a double, while Luana Farmer had an RBI single.
Homer’s two pitchers combined for 10 walks and seven strikeouts.
No. 3 Kenai topped No. 6 Houston 9-0 in the opening round, then upset No. 2 Palmer 29-20.
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