Federal Way softball clings to league lead

After a slow start, Eagles pull ahead with 6-4 win against Decatur.

By Olivia Sullivan • April 20, 2019 12:30 pm

The Federal Way Eagles softball team held onto their top spot in the NPSL with a 6-4 win against Decatur on Tuesday afternoon at Federal Way High School before the rain could wash it away.

“We’ve played better, but even having some of the mistakes we had, we still pulled it out and that shows we’re getting there to be a better team,” said Federal Way softball head coach Sean Praven.

Decatur maintained a 3-0 lead until Federal Way tied up the game up in the bottom of the fourth inning with three runs.

The Eagles usually begin to score in the fourth inning, so the early lead by Decatur didn’t faze Federal Way, Praven said about the slow start.

“We’ve come back from more, so I wasn’t worried… [the team] just likes to make my hair gray,” Praven said with a laugh.

Federal Way sophomore Makena Togia scored two runs, sophomore Kaitlin Terzakos scored one run, and junior Casey Wright scored a run and hit two home runs, bringing the final score to 6-4.

Even if the Eagles are down, they are never out, Praven said. This is Praven’s second season coaching the Eagles after previously coaching fastpitch at Seattle University for 10 years.

“When we’re down, we don’t seem to panic,” Praven said. “We’ve won enough games from behind to know we’re always in the game.”

Federal Way holds a 7-1 league record, 11-1 overall. Decatur is 1-6 league, 4-6 overall.

One of the Eagles’ top players, sophomore shortstop Jesenay Agulto, is out with a knee injury, Praven said, which has led to many players learning new positions and playing out of their infield “comfort zones.”

Praven hopes Agulto will be back to the game next week.

Heading into the rest of the season, Praven said the Eagles need to work on quicker starts in their games because relying on the consistent comeback routine could come back to bite later.

Federal Way beat Auburn 5-1 on Wednesday, April 17 at Auburn High School.

Next week, the Eagles head to Auburn Mountainview Tuesday, April 23.