Warriors Softball Sweep Spirit

The Nelson Lady Warriors softball team (5-7) continued to surge despite a week off, sweeping their second consecutive doubleheader, this time on the road against the Ottawa Spirit with a pair of come-from-behind victories: 7-5 in Game 1 and 9-6 in Game 2. The sweep marks the program's hottest stretch of the young season and is a sign of a team that refuses to quit, no matter the score.

Game 1: Nelson 7, Ottawa 5
In game 1, the Warriors burst out of the gate in the top of the first inning, loading the bases with one out and capitalizing with three straight RBI singles: Vanessa Philpot drove in Briyanei Celaya with a single to right, Emily Quigg followed with a base hit to left that scored Stephany Aguirre, and Catalina Sanchez plated Philpot with a single to left to make it 3-0.

Ottawa showed spirit and battled back immediately, scoring two in the bottom of the first, before adding one in the fourth and two more in the fifth to take a 5-3 lead. But the Warriors refused to fold. In the top of the sixth, they loaded the bases again, this time starting a merry-go-round rally: Amber Lopez ripped a single to center that drove in two runs to tie the game, and on her ensuing stolen-base attempt, the Spirit catcher's throw sailed into center field, allowing Charli York to score from third giving Nelson a lead they would never relinquish. Two batters later, with runners on the corners, Estevannie Rojas delivered a clutch single to first base that drove in Lopez for a four-run inning and a 7-5 advantage.

The Spirit failed to score in the bottom of the sixth or seventh, and Nelson held on for the hard-fought victory.

Game 2: Nelson 9, Ottawa 6
When the second game commenced, the Spirit stormed out to an early 6-0 lead with two runs in the bottom of the first and four more in the second. But relief pitcher Araeya Cosay settled in in the circle, shutting Ottawa down completely over the final five innings – allowing just two hits and one walk over the final stretch.

The Nelson offense finally broke through in the top of the fifth when Amber Lopez scored on a passed ball, and Vanessa Philpot followed with a double down the right-field line that drove in two more, cutting the deficit in half at 6-3.

But the real explosion came in the top of the seventh, with Nelson distressingly down to their final out. Undeterred, Charli York doubled to right field sparking the incredible rally that eventually led to the Nelson third base coach to ice his shoulder having to wave so many Lady Warriors around third. Up next, Vanessa Philpot singled to shallow center-left to drive York home, Catalina Sanchez singled to load the bases, and Mikki Green ripped a two-run double to tie the game at 6-6. Amber Lopez followed with a deep double to center that scored Sanchez and gave Nelson the lead. After a pitching change, Briyanei Celaya stepped up and doubled down the left-field line on a 3-0 count, driving in two more to cap a six-run inning and push the lead to 9-6.

Cosay closed the door with a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh, clinching the sweep.

Vanessa Philpot had herself a day, finishing 4-for-8, with 3 runs, and 4 RBI, pushing her batting average up to .313 on the season. Briyanei Celaya was masterful as well, finishing with 4-for-9, 1 run, 2 RBI, bumping her average up to .302. Amber Lopez and Emily Quigg each finished 3-for-6 from the plate with, Lopez scoring 3 runs and driving in 3 RBI, and Quigg scoring 2 runs and driving in another herself. Charli York was a massive thorn in the Spirit's side, finishing 2-4, but scoring 3 times.

The Lady Warriors are now riding a wave of confidence, showing resilience, timely hitting, and lockdown pitching when it matters most. After starting the season 0-6, they've won five of their last six games.

See the Nelson Warriors' softball page for their upcoming schedule.

Do not forget to follow Nelson Athletics on X at @NelsonWarriors and Instagram at @nelsonwarriors.athletics.