Lake Stevens opened its season in a tight game against Bothell High School, ultimately falling short 2-3. The Vikings struggled to get the offense going early, as Bothell took advantage of key opportunities to build a 2-0 lead in the first five innings. Despite the slow start, Lake Stevens stayed within reach thanks to key defensive plays.

Sophomore catcher Jacob Heston sparked the Vikings’ offense with the first hit of the game, which shifted the energy in the dugout.

“It got us going… our energy went to a different level,” Heston said.

Heston’s approach at the plate was to “Just see fastballs and attack,” Heston said.

Heston came through in the bottom of the sixth with a single to left field, helping to start a rally.

After Heston’s single, senior Kellen Gadin followed with a base hit to pass the bat. With pressure building, junior Blake Moser had a clutch single to center field that brought in two runs to tie the game 2-2.

Defensively, junior Cayden DeElena led the way at third base with multiple plays that kept Bothell from increasing its lead. His performance was highlighted in the top of the third inning when Bothell went three up, three down with all three outs recorded by DeElena. Then, in the fifth inning, he had back-to-back defensive plays.

“I was just trying to stay in my space, stay calm, and just make the throw. That’s the biggest part of the play,” DeElena said.

However, Bothell responded at the top of the seventh, scoring the lead runner to take the lead again. In the final attempt to rally in the bottom half of the seventh inning, junior Ayden Hale hit a single that advanced a pinch runner. But the comeback fell short.

While the Vikings didn’t get the result they wanted, the game showed strong defense and timely hitting against a competitive and offensively strong team. Lake proved they can stay close in games, and with more consistent offense, they will be a team to watch.