First-year Enumclaw High fastpitch coach Michael Eckhart knew his squad needed a break after winning its seventh consecutive South Puget Sound League 3A contest, a 4-2 victory over Auburn Mountainview at the Boise Creek Sixplex Thursday evening.

“We’ve been winning games, but the girls just haven’t felt real good about the way they’ve been playing lately,” Eckhart said. “We committed six errors against Sumner last week. We won the game 8-5, but a half dozen errors can never be considered a confidence booster. So in the next couple practices we are going to try to instill a bit more confidence into their play in the field and at the plate.”

There isn’t a team in the league that wouldn’t trade its “problems” for Enumclaw’s right now. Since losing 5-0 to the undefeated and league-leading Bonney Lake Panthers nearly a month ago, the Hornets, now 7-1 in SPSL 3A action, have not lost a game.

While the Hornets aren’t having trouble producing runs, it has been the effort of sophomore change-up artist Austin Rogers that has played a large factor in the Hornets’ run of success.

In her last four starts, Rogers has pitched 27 and one third innings, is 4-0, has pitched one no-hitter, has struck out 55 batters (including 14 against Auburn Mountainview) and has posted an earned run average of 0.77.

“Austin does a great job of hitting her zones and she moves the ball around very effectively,” Eckhart said.

In the two contests EHS played last week, the lumber was alive, as the Hornet girls gleaned 20 hits. In six official at bats last week, Kassi Young had four hits, including a triple, and crossed the plate twice.

Enumclaw traveled to Peninsula Tuesday, with the results coming too late to report here, and will host Clover Park at 7 tonight, Wednesday, at the Boise Creek Sixplex.

At 4 p.m. Friday, EHS travels down the road to Bonney Lake, with a share of the league lead possibly on the line.

Reach John Leggett at jleggett@courierherald.com or 360-802-8207.