Kentwood came through in a pair of must win games in the past week to earn the fifth spot in the South Puget Sound League 4A North Division.

It started with a gutty 3-2 win at home against Thomas Jefferson on May 6 and was followed up with a 5-4 win Tuesday in a tiebreaker game against Auburn Riverside at Brannan Park in Auburn.

Despite the Conquerors’ youth — the team has just two seniors — they were able to keep calm and handle the pressure led by the hitting of freshman Allison Newcomb and sophomore Mackenna Sherman.

It started in the bottom of the fourth against Auburn Riverside for Kentwood when Newcomb followed up Sherman’s triple to left field with a long single to left field picking up her first RBI.

But the Ravens tied it up in the top of the sixth.

“I thought we were in it,” Newcomb said. “You can never assume anything. When they scored the two (runs), I wasn’t worried. I knew we would come back.”

In the bottom of the sixth Newcomb stepped to the plate with Sherman on first base after she walked.

Newcomb smacked a 270 foot home run to left field, driving Sherman in to put Kentwood up 4-2.

“There was pressure, but I knew if I got on base, Rachel (Burr), the girl who hits after me would drive me in,” she said.

All the Conquerors needed was three outs.

But the Ravens weren’t done. With a pair of runners on, Ashley Fraser ripped a double to left center field, driving in two runs and tying the game up again for Riverside.

Brianne Cossey and Sherman were both on base when Newcomb set up in the batter’s box in the bottom of the seventh.

Newcomb hit a single, driving in Cossey to score the winning run, clinching a spot in the league tournament. Newcomb went 3-for-4 in the game with a pair of singles, a home run, collecting 4 RBIs and scoring two runs.

Sherman was 2-for-2 with a single and a triple, scored two runs and collected a pair of walks.

Newcomb attributed Kentwood’s ability to handle the pressure to its closeness as a team. This group has just two seniors.

“We are so together,” Newcomb said. “We know if we get down we can count on each other to get back up.”

Next up for Kentwood is a 4 p.m. match up on Thursday (after the Reporter press deadline) with SPSL South No. 2 seed Rogers.

“We’re not going to think ahead to the next game,” Newcomb said. “Rogers is a good team but I knew we can handle them.”

The win over Thomas Jefferson was eerily similar just a few days earlier.

Things looked good for Kentwood when it jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Newcomb and Burr each drove in a run.

But in the top of the third, Jefferson responded, tying the game up.

In the bottom of the fourth, while CJ Brooks stood at the plate, Ally Mittleider came in to score the winning run as Bethany Pfaff stole second base.

Sophomore left fielder Shian Kelly made a series of spectacular catches for the Conks with Raiders runners on base and threatening to score, including a sliding catch to end the top half of the fifth.

Kentwood’s season has had its highs and lows but this win provided a particularly special high point.

“It means a whole lot to everybody,” Kelly said. “We finally won a really big game. It was so intense.”

For Kentwood coach Jason Wisor, the win over Jefferson was significant given the youthfulness of his team.

“This is huge because of the turnover we’ve had this year,” Wisor said. “We came out of the gate playing .500 ball. This is huge because it means the season starts all over.”

Wisor said the team will prepare for the playoffs just as it has for any other opponent this season.

“The team stays calm as it is,” he said. “I’ve got confidence they’ll come out and compete against Rogers.”