Runs were aplenty as Thomas Jefferson’s softball team outlasted Kentlake 16-12 on Monday at Thomas Jefferson High School.

The game seemed as though it was going to get away from Jefferson in the third and fourth innings as the visitors amassed a six-run lead.

Kentlake led 1-0 going into the top of the third inning. After Maggie Brach’s single to open the inning, Jefferson recorded two quick outs. Allyson Overall’s two-out single put runners on first and second.

Jefferson nearly had an easy third out on a ground ball, but an error on the toss to first base kept the inning alive. Brach scored on the play, Overall moved up to third and Jordan Engman, who hit the ground ball, moved up to second base.

Kiana Kingsley followed the error with a double to bring home Overall and Engman and give the Falcons a 4-0 lead.

Isabelle McLarty scored the first run for Jefferson in the bottom of the inning on a Leanne Bryant single, cutting the lead to 4-1.

But things would get worse for the Raiders in the top of the fourth inning.

Kentlake catcher Ashley Hendrickson started off the inning with a double, and Emma King replaced her as a courtesy runner following the double. Jada Leonard, the second batter of the inning, was thrown out at first, but she managed to move King to third.

Brach stepped up to the plate again, this time delivering a two-run home run to center field that gave Kentlake a 6-1 lead. They’d score once more before the inning ended.

Up to that point, Jefferson had gotten the hits to keep up with Kentlake, but not the runs. Their bats started to heat up in the bottom of the fourth.

“With this team, they’re very confident they can hit,” Jefferson head coach Greg Campbell said. “I don’t think they’re ever out of a game that early. We just gotta reset the deck and let the score take care of itself.”

Jefferson’s Samantha Simundson and Bailey Nelson both singled to start the half of the inning and advanced to second and third on a wild pitch. Haylee Pollard brought both of them home with a single of her own.

Kaylee Walker came in as a courtesy runner for Pollard and scored on an error later in the inning.

Heading to the bottom of the fourth, the Raiders still trailed 7-4.

Bryant started things off with a single for Jefferson. Kayleigh Carbon followed that with a triple to bring the score to 7-5. Simundson also tripled, bringing home Carbon.

Nelson tied the game when she doubled to bring home Simundson.

With runners on the corners and only one out, Kentlake subbed out pitcher Maddy Seumalo for Overall. It didn’t stop the bleeding for the Falcons.

The first batter Overall faced was walked, loading the bases.

Palomo, the second batter she faced, drove the ball into the right field gap, bringing all three runners on base home. Palomo was tagged out when she came off the base running into third.

After taking the 10-7 lead, the Raiders wouldn’t look back.

They gave up two runs in the top of the sixth, but cushioned their lead with six more runs of their own to bring the game to 16-9.

Kentlake managed three runs on their last out but couldn’t complete the comeback.

“[Our players] just made great adjustments and hit the crud out of the ball from about the third inning forward,” Campbell said.

Palomo led the team with five RBIs on 2-for-2 batting with two walks. McLarty and Pollard tied for second on the team with two RBIs apiece. Five Raiders players batted over .500 for the game.

Overall led the Falcons with four hits and four RBIs. Kingsley had two hits and three RBIs.

Tahoma is currently the favorite to win the league, as they returned the majority of their starters from last year’s state championship-winning team, but Jefferson is making a case to not be overlooked.

The Raiders offense has been red hot to start the season, scoring 73 runs in five games. Besides Tahoma, they are the only other team in the South Puget Sound League North that is still undefeated.

Jefferson (5-0, 4-0) takes on Tahoma (7-0, 5-0) at 4 p.m. today at Thomas Jefferson High School.