South Whidbey softball lost to Cedarcrest 14-2 on Tuesday afternoon in a battle between the Cascade Conference’s top two teams.

The Falcons (5-3 overall, 4-1 in league) led the Red Wolves (9-0 overall, 4-0 in league) 1-0 after the first inning. Junior pitcher Mackenzie Collins struck out the Red Wolves’ first three batters, and Falcon sophomore Bella Northup scored freshman Makenna Morley on a double in the bottom of the inning.

Then the Red Wolves’ bats came alive. Cedarcrest scored six runs in the second inning followed by another five in the third, while also shutting out the Falcons. The Falcons only other run came in the bottom of the fourth inning when Collins scored Kacie Hanson on a single.

Cedarcrest scored three runs in the same inning to end the game due to the mercy rule.

The Red Wolves’ large margin of victory was not uncommon for them this season; they’ve outscored their opponents 114-14 this season.

Collins, whose number of strikeouts is consistently in the double-digits, struck out seven while yielding 12 hits. Collins also gave up six earned runs, while the rest were earned through base running and errors.

Falcon head coach Alexandra Goheen said the Red Wolves presented South Whidbey with many challenges, the biggest of which was their athleticism.

“It shows in all their scores,” Goheen said. “…I think the girls, they started intense and upbeat and then slowly, as the other team started to score and were stealing, they just lost their heads.”