Quality pitching has been the rule – certainly no exception – as both the Enumclaw and White River fastpitch teams have raced to early success.

Through games of last week, Hornet squads on both sides of the county line had combined to post 14 victories in 14 games, posting some eye-popping numbers along the way. The teams had outscored opponents 172-5, rarely playing a full seven innings as the 10-run “mercy rule” generally came into play. Enumclaw had shut out its opponents in seven of nine games.

At the heart of all that success was pitching that has left opposing batters dazed and confused.

That quality was best displayed April 6 and 7 during a pair of contests at Enumclaw High, when EHS pitchers Quinn Breidenbach and Madelyn Carlson tossed back-to-back, five-inning no-hitters. Carlson, a sophomore, struck out nine during her team’s 15-0 victory over the Lakes Lancers. Breidenbach, a junior who has already committed to play for the University of Massachusetts, followed a day later with a 10-strikeout performance during a 10-0 blanking of Sumner.

Not too many miles away, White River’s Kayla Smith  – a senior who has twice been named the South Puget Sound League 2A’s pitcher of the year – was equally effective.

In leading her club to four straight wins, Smith pitched 14 innings, surrendered just two hits and did not allow a run. White River also features a one-two punch; the team’s fifth game saw Natalie Vollandt handling the pitching chores, striking out seven while allowing just one hit during the team’s 16-0 rout of Clover Park.