Need to beat Monroe plus one more to go to state

MONROE — The Lady Eagles walked off the field May 18 with the feeling that they are still alive.

After the first day of the District 1 softball tournament, Arlington came away with the opportunity to win out and earn its first state berth since 1997.

“We live to play another day,” said Arlington coach Dan Eng. “And that’s the important thing.”

Standing in the Eagles’ way is Monroe, and the winner of the Snohomish vs. Stanwood game. Arlington will have to win its next two games to punch its ticket to state. The Eagles were 2-0 against Monroe in the regular season.

“They’ve got the best outfield of any team we’ve played all year,” said Eng of the Bearcats. “They’re fast and make good decisions in the field.”

Over the day, Arlington defeated Mountlake Terrace handily, 12-3 before running into Marysville-Pilchuck in a winner-to-state game.

The Tomahawks jumped all over the Eagles early en route to a 13-0 win in five innings.

“They’ve gotten to every pitcher we have this year,” said Eng. “You’ve got to hand it to them, they’re a great hitting team.”

Highlighting the day for Arlington was Lyndsy Amundson, who hit a pair of home runs against Mountlake Terrace to power the Eagles.

“She’s been doing that all season,” said Eng.

For a young team — only one senior on the roster — Eng said he’s surprised with how quickly the varsity game has come to them.

“I’ve been coaching for nearly 30 years and I’ve never seen a team come together this quickly,” he said. “We’re really excited about their future.”

Eng is especially pleased with how well his team (16-6) has done in a loaded Wesco North, which still has five teams remaining in the district tournament, with only Jackson representing the south.

“The power is in the North this year,” he said. “And I think we’re seeing that play out in the tournament.”