The NIC Sentinel

Issue date: 4/14/08 Section: Sports

As far back as she can remember, Kelli Bridges played softball. The Coeur d'Alene native grew up in the woods, spending her summers on the ball field and swimming in the lake.

"I've loved the game all my life," Bridges said. "I just love being outside."

But it's more than a lifelong athletic pursuit. The game is in her blood.

Kelli's grandfather Rocky Bridges played 11 seasons in the major leagues and then spent the next two decades as a coach. Her father, Cory, spent time in single-A baseball and now coaches for Lake City High School, which he led to its first state title in 2006.

At 5 foot 3 inches, Kelli doesn't look like an athlete. Quiet and reserved, she holds down the position - shortstop - that demands the most athleticism. A pint-sized dynamo, she fields the hottest grounders, tags out runners looking for a stolen base and turns the double plays at second. Bridges does it all with aplomb, often gunning down runners at first from the edge of the grass.

"She's not a flashy, showy athlete," said Debbie Bridges, Kelli's mom. "She just gets it done, but she's not flashy."

Debbie said a prime example of that was when Bridges played volleyball for Lake City. Debbie said the volleyball coach at first wasn't sure the Bridges could contribute to the team.

"Her coach told her: 'You can be on the JV or the varsity team. If you're on the varsity (squad), you probably won't play very much,'" Debbie said. "After two or three days she was a starter. She's not flashy, so people don't know how good she is."

Catcher Alysha Krier has played with Bridges since the two were 10 years old.

"She's really quiet," Krier said. "But it's a quiet - it's a quiet confidence."

The two match up on every throw from the plate to second base, a relationship they've shared from summer leagues, through elite teams and Lake City's varsity squad.

"I know that all the throwdowns, she's going to be there," Krier said. "She's never missed one yet. You can just make the play because she's there."

On a team that last year remade the Cardinal record book in its own image, Bridges doesn't leap out at you. But she's there, her soft touch evident in several categories. Bridges notched 68 hits (sixth all-time), 46 runs (fourth all-time), 14 stolen bases and 46 RBIs for the Cardinals in 2007. She's the ultimate support player, making all of her teammates look better. She's the runner batted in, the stolen base, the sacrifice bunt. Indeed, Bridges led the team with 25 sacrifice bunts last year.

Continued...

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