Falcon shutout streak ends

A heart-pounder of a game that didn’t mean much in the scope of the season broke an 18-game shutout streak maintained by the Falcon fastpitch team since the start of the season.

Playing Nooksack Valley on the road Wednesday, the Falcons won 2-1, but gave up their first run of the season.

The Pioneers took the first and only lead over the Falcons by any team this year in the third inning when they brought a runner home on a blown throwdown between South Whidbey junior catcher Carolann Lubach and second base. They also racked up nine hits against Falcon starting pitcher Christie Robinson.

The Falcons could not rally the seventh. With two outs, Becky Gabelein smacked a double that brought home baserunners Amy Madrigali and Carrie Anderson.

On Thursday, the Falcons hosted lowly Sultan Thursday, an 0-16 team that has occupied the bottom slot in the North Cascades Conference since opening day. In the opening game of a double header, South Whidbey bombed the Turks out of the game 16-0 behind Christie Robinson’s fourth no-hitter of the year.

Coming back from that run-shortened, five-inning contest, the Falcons gave Robinson — who pitched 18 shutouts this season — a rare rest. -Moving onto the mound was catcher Carolann Lubach. Lubach, who was the team’s top offensive producer on the day, going 6-for-8 with three doubles and 10 RBI, was no slouch as a pitcher, hurling a three-hitter with teammate Carrie Anderson catching.

But two uncharacteristic errors and those hits did allow the Turks to bring in two runs, one each in the second and third innings.

However, South Whidbey took the game easily, slamming out three runs in the first inning, five in the second and five in the third to win 13-2.

The Falcons end the season 20-0 overall and 16-0 in the NCC, having outscored all opponents 146-3. The team has gone 48-0 in NCC play for the past three years.

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