Panthers Fall Just Short Against Olympia in a One-Swing Showdown

Morgan Berg - 2 for 4, 1 run scored

It was a sun-soaked Friday afternoon at the Bonney Lake softball complex — the kind of spring day where anything feels possible. Two evenly matched teams took the field as the Panthers, sitting at 7-5, hosted the 7-7 Olympia Bears in what promised to be a close contest. And it was — decided by just one swing of the bat.

That swing belonged to Olympia’s Sydney Potvin, who stepped to the plate in the third inning with two runners on. One pitch later, the left field fence wasn’t just cleared — it was left in the rearview mirror. Potvin’s three-run missile broke open what had been a 1-1 game and ultimately served as the deciding blow in a 5-2 win for the visiting Bears.

Aspyn Evanson - 3.0 IP, 4ER, 2 BB, 4 SO. At the plate - 1 for 1, 1 BB

Senior ace Aspyn Evanson got the start for the Panthers and showed flashes of her dominant self. She gave up an early run in the top of the first but stopped the bleeding with a huge strikeout to end the threat. Bonney Lake answered right away in the bottom half, as leadoff spark plug Morgan Berg ripped a line drive single to left field, and capitalized off an error having her standing on third and scored on a wild pitch to tie the game at 1-1.

But after Potvin’s homer in the third, the Bears never looked back.

Despite the loss, Bonney Lake had their chances. The Panthers loaded the bases in both the fifth and sixth innings, threatening to climb back into it. They scratched across a single run in the fifth but couldn’t find the big hit they needed to pull even.

Zhosi Pool - Defensive magic

One major bright spot came on defense, where shortstop Zhosi Pool put on a clinic. Pool was everywhere — flashing range, quick hands, and serious instincts. I counted at least three moments of pure defensive magic that stopped runners from advancing and took the air out of Olympia’s rallies.

Freshman pitcher Maddie Speir also impressed in relief, tossing four solid innings and giving up just one earned run while striking out two.

Maddie Speir - 4.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO

Offensively, the Panthers were quiet overall, finishing with just six hits. Berg continued to set the tone from the top of the lineup, going 2-for-4 with a triple and a run scored.

While the result didn’t tilt in Bonney Lake’s favor, the grit, defense, and timely pitching showed this squad is far from done.

The Panthers return home Monday for another league clash, this time against Bethel. First pitch is set for 4:00 PM. Don’t miss it.

Box Score

Batting

Player	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	HR	3B	2B	SB
Morgan Berg	4	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0
Lauryn Lee	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Zhosi Pool	3	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0
Hallie Beers	4	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
Maddie Speir	3	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0
Aspyn Evanson	1	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0
Kendell Thomas	4	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
Gabi Davis	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Maddi Peri	2	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0

Pitching

Pitcher	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	W	SV
Aspyn Evanson	3.0	4	4	4	2	4	0	0
Maddie Speir	4.0	7	1	1	2	2	0	0