After running the table during the regular season and cruising to its first three wins in the Cook Inlet Conference tournament by a combined score of 38-0, the East High softball team had to come from behind to remain undefeated and win the CIC championship Friday.
The Thunderbirds edged South 5-3 in seven innings at Albrecht Fields to avoid a Saturday morning if-necessary game in the double-elimination tournament.
East trailed 2-1 after four innings, tied it 2-2 with a run in the fifth and won it with three runs in the bottom of the sixth. The T-birds improved to 23-0.
Sierra Rosenzweig hit an RBI single and Gabbi Meyerson belted a two-run double in the decisive inning to give the T-birds to a 5-2 lead.
South came back with one run in the top of the seventh and stranded a runner on third base.
"It was a great game," East coach Paul Schoenborn said. "It went back and forth and was one of those games that someone hates losing."
It was one of those games with a lot of heroes. Rosenzweig and South's Dakota Underwood each hit solo home runs. South's Tristan Tolan tallied a hit, a run and an RBI. East's Daisy Page pitched a six-strikeout complete game. South's Rachel White also pitched a complete game and helped her cause by leading off the seventh with a single.
White scored on a one-out single by Sidney Bulot, who moved to third base on an error. But Page ended the threat by getting the next South batter with a strikeout and the one after that with a groundout.
With one out in the sixth, Dymond Fields got East started by reaching first base on an error. Rosenzweig followed with an RBI double. With first base open, South intentionally walked East slugger Taria Page -- who drew intentional passes in all four of her plate appearances -- and both runners scored on Meyerson's single.
In an earlier elimination game, White struck out five and contributed to South's seven-run third inning in an 8-0 victory over Chugiak in five innings.
White delivered a two-run single in the third, as did Danni Desjarlais. The Wolverines plated seven runs in the inning on four hits and four Mustangs errors.
East, South, Chugiak and West will head to Fairbanks next week for the state tournament, where East will be the prohibitive favorite. Schoenborn thinks South will be dangerous too.
"If it's not us and South in the championship game, someone made a mistake," he said.