High school softball: District tournament roundup
SATURDAY (MAY 21)
4A
NO. 7 EMERALD RIDGE 14, NO. 11 TAHOMA 3
Emerald Ridge recovered from being no-hit yesterday and rallied for consecutive wins to clinch a state-tournament allocation.
The Jaguars lost in Friday’s first round of the district bracket to Kentwood after seven-no hit innings from Sarah Wright. Emerald Ridge rebounded later that day to beat Union, 2-1, and routed Tahoma on Saturday to secure a fifth-place tournament finish.
NO. 9 BATTLE GROUND 11, NO. 12 GRAHAM-KAPOWSIN 1
After a game where the Eagles were playing full-throttle offense against league-rival Sumner, they ran out of gas against the Tigers.
Their loss means they are also out of the district tournament without a bid to the state bracket. Graham-Kapowsin finishes with an overall record 12-11.
3A
NO. 3 AUBURN RIVERSIDE, 12 NO. 11 AUBURN MOUNTAINVIEW 2
The Ravens plated four runs in the first inning and coasted to the state tournament over the Lions in Saturday’s win-or-go-home contest.
Riverside’s 12-2 victory was the second in three days over crosstown rivals. After a first-round loss in the District 3/4 bracket, the Ravens blanked No. 13 Auburn, 15-0, on Thursday and secured a fifth-place finish in the tournament with Saturday’s win.
Auburn Mountainview needs a win later Saturday over No. 12 Timberline for a state allocation.
MORE SCORES
4A
No. 2 Kentwood 2, No. 3 Olympia 1
No. 4 Skyview 6, No. 1 Puyallup 2
3A
No. 1 Peninsula 10, No. 4 Prairie 0
No. 9 Heritage 10, No. 12 Timberline 5
2A
No. 7 Fife 6, No. 6 Sequim 3
No. 5 Olympic 6, No. 1 Port Angeles 4
MAY 20
4A
NO. 1 PUYALLUP 13, NO. 8 KENNEDY CATHOLIC 0
The Vikings’ cruised to victory over the Lancers to secure their spot in the 4A District 3/4 tournament semifinals, and clinched their spot in the state tournament.
After figuring out Kennedy Catholic’s pitching, the power in Puyallup’s bats woke up. Sophomore third baseman Kyra Smith had arguably the biggest day at the plate where she went 2-for-3 with two home runs. Freshman catcher Chloe Ream added to the Vikings’ offense with a 3-for-4 performance with a double and home run as well.
“The biggest thing was our defense, we know Kennedy Catholic likes to play small ball. I though we ran the bases really well, but we didn’t adjust to their pitcher too well,” said coach Alec Elliott. “We popped up a bit, but we calmed down and eventually got the power we are used to. I thought our communication and attention to detail paid off. The outfield did a good job calling off infield on those pop flies. The little things are big in big games.”
Holding down the fort for the Vikings on the mound was junior pitcher Isabelle Welch. She went the distance, striking out three while only giving up two hits in the afternoon.
Welch’s pitching, along with strong offense pushed Puyallup into a district semifinal against Skyview. That game will happen at noon Saturday, May 21 at Kent Service Fields.
NO. 2 KENTWOOD 2, NO. 7 EMERALD RIDGE 0
For an inconceivable sixth time this season, Sarah Wright proved untouchable.
Kentwood’s ace surrendered only one walk in what was her sixth no-hitter and blanked Emerald Ridge in seven innings to clinch a state-tournament allocation.
Wright (15-0, 0.35) struck out 16 batters in Kentwood’s 2-0 win. She threw 87 pitches — 61 of them strikes — and posted a 1-for-3 day at the plate after a leadoff single in the fourth.
Throughout her 2022 season, Wright struck out 262 batters in 101 innings pitched (18.2 K/7) and allowed only five earned runs. Opponents mustered only 21 hits all season, and posted a .061 batting average against the sophomore.
Kentwood plated both runs on Isabella Thomasson’s two-out single in the fourth.
Five of Wright’s seven frames were perfect. She allowed a two-out walk to Emerald Ridge’s Ava Puttler in the second inning, and Kailey Verhoeven, the Jaguars’ second and final base runner, reached on a fielding error in the seventh.
Kentwood advanced to the District 3/4 4A semifinal, and secured a state allocation regardless of district result.
Emerald Ridge later beat No. 15 Union after falling to a loser-out contest, 2-1. They’ll face No. 11 Tahoma on Saturday for a trip to the state tournament.
NO. 11 TAHOMA 9, NO. 14 ROGERS (PUYALLUP) 5
Tahoma remains in contention after a pair of victories on Friday in the district 3/4 4A tournament.
The Bears are now one win away from securing a state allocation, and will face No. 7 Emerald Ridge on Saturday for the spot.
Tahoma entered the district bracket in a loser-out meeting with No. 14 Rogers and rallied for a 9-5 win. Rams hitters jumped on Bears starter Madison Knull, who lasted two innings before ace Raeden Young entered to shut down Rogers’ offense.
Tahoma’s offense rolled to a nine-run performance in their first win and scored six more to beat Decatur later that day, 6-5. The Bears trailed by as many as four before swatting three homers in the fifth inning and storming back to win.
“It’s definitely exciting,” said coach Darren Rawie. “It was huge getting to that position because we were down four. We had three home runs in an inning that put us on top, and then it was just clutch to stay there.”
Tahoma seeks revenge on Emerald Ridge after the Jaguars won an earlier meeting this season on March 16, 10-9. The squads are set for Saturday’s winner-to-state contest; the loser is eliminated from contention.
“We’re a different team,” Rawie said. “We are athletes who’ve worked hard and have elevated (our) game. We’re a very different team than we were in March.”
NO. 15 UNION 8, NO. 10 SOUTH KITSAP 4
Union’s McKinley Ermshar tossed a complete game and posted a 2-for-4 day at the plate to eliminate South Kitsap and propel the Titans to the second round of the District 3/4 4A tournament.
South Kitsap’s season ended with Friday’s 8-4 loss.
Ermshar threw 132 pitches and whiffed eight batters across seven innings. She allowed four hits, four runs, and walked three. In the first inning, she plated two runs on a hard single up the middle to give Union a 2-0 lead.
Amid Ermshar’s third-inning at-bat, Wolves catcher Elyssa Barnett made a throwing error on a pickoff attempt, scoring Kayla Brusseau from third base.
Union padded their lead in the same frame when Ella Berfanger grounded into a fielder’s choice and plated Maggie Tumelty from third.
Brusseau gave the Titans a 5-0 lead with a solo homer in the fifth.
South Kitsap’s Sarah Hoyt and Reagan Dale swatted back-to-back solo homers in the sixth, which brought the game within three runs.
Union’s Abigail Andrews later scored on a seventh-inning fielding error, and Alex Yelverton hit a two-run homer in the next at-bat to extend the Titan advantage to six.
South Kitsap added a pair runs in the bottom of the frame when Hoyt reached on a fielding error, scoring Brooke Jett and Ronan Byrd.
Union later lost Friday to Emerald Ridge in a loser-out contest, 2-1.
NO. 3 OLYMPIA 3, NO. 6 DECATUR 2
Olympia captured a state-tournament allocation and advanced to the district semifinals with Friday’s 3-2 win over Decatur.
The Bears meet No. 2 Kentwood on Saturday, with a trip to the District 3/4 4A championship on the line.
Decatur later dropped a loser-out contest with No. 11 Tahoma, 6-5.
NO. 12 GRAHAM-KAPOWSIN 18, NO. 5 SUMNER 1
The Eagles avenged two league losses against the Spartans as their offense exploded and their defense was suffocating.
After losing to No. 4 Skyview, Sumner was thrown into the consolation bracket; whereas the Eagles narrowly won 1-0 in their earlier game against No. 13 Kentridge.
The last time these two quads faced off was May 3 when the Spartans had a 15-14 win. This time however, they had no answers for the Graham-Kapowin and have exited the district tournament with a final record of 13-9.
As for the Eagles, they will fight for a spot in the state tournament as they take on No. 9 Battle Ground at noon Saturday, May 21 at Kent Service Fields.
2A
NO. 13 FRANKLIN PIERCE 16, NO. 12 HIGHLINE 0
Emma Hoffmeister and Leila Kennach combined for a two-hitter and Franklin Pierce routed Highline in the opening round of the district tournament.
Luck turned for the Cardinals later Friday. Franklin Pierce (10-11, 7-9) dropped their second loser-out contest to No. 4 North Kitsap, 7-1, ending their season.
NO. 7 FIFE 3, NO. 2 ENUMCLAW 2
Fife upset Enumclaw and secured a state-tournament allocation with Friday’s 3-2 win.
The Trojans advanced to Saturday’s district semifinal with No. 6 Sequim. Both squads are on to state, regardless of result.
Enumclaw (15-6, 15-1) won the 2A SPSL and entered the District 2/3 2A bracket as the tournament’s second seed. After Friday’s loss to Fife, the Hornets lost again to No. 9 Orting, 8-2, ending their season.
NO. 10 NORTH MASON 15, NO. 8 WHITE RIVER 2
The Hornets season has come to an end as they dropped both their games in the 2A District 2/3 fast pitch tournament.
White River began their journey with a 8-2 loss to No. 1 Port Angeles, forcing them into the consolation bracket into a match up with the Bulldogs. Unable to muster up more than two runs in this game either, the Hornets were sent home from the tournament.
Their season ends with a record of 13-6.
NO. 11 WASHINGTON 15, NO. 3 SAMMAMISH
The Patriots came to play in the district tournament as they upset the Hawks in their match up in the district tournament.
After already downing No. 15 Evergreen of Seattle 12-0, Washington scored another 15 runs to out last Sammamish sending them home.
Now the Patriots’ chances for a state tournament berth runs against their league rival No. 9 Orting. The Cardinals themselves came off a 8-2 upset of No. 2 Enumclaw.
Their game will take place at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 21.
NO. 4 W.F. WEST 4, NO. 3 TUMWATER 2
Although the T-Birds already have a state berth under their belt, they still came out ready to go blow for blow against Evergreen 2A rival Bearcats.
Freshman Ella Ferguson was on the mound for Tumwater and she went the distance, earning nine strikeouts along the way. At the plate, senior Jaylene Marquinez launched a two-run homerun in the sixth inning that also scored senior Aly Waltermeyer for the only two runs Tumwater would score.
“Great game on both sides of the field. W.F. West is such an experienced team. We were competitive every single inning,” said coach Ashley Lupinski. “They are going to throw punches, and we wanted to throw punches back. Ultimately, the game went the wrong way in the 7th, especially since the battering ram is a freshman duo. But it was not a total loss. We learned that for these young girls, when the game gets big on them, they need to take a deep breath. This is just a game. As long as we compete, we have fun.”
Tumwater finished second in the District 4 2A Fastpitch tournament, with W.F. West taking the crown. Both teams will await their seeding for the 2A state championship.
MORE SCORES
4A
No. 9 Battle Ground 21, No. 16 Curtis 0
2A
No. 7 Fife 3, No. 3 Enumclaw 2
No. 6 Sequim 21, No. 3 Sammamish 1
No. 5 Olympic 4, No. 4 North Kitsap 2
No. 9 Orting 5, No. 14 Kingston 4
No. 10 North Mason 15, No. 16 Tyee 0
MAY 19
3A
NO. 1 PENINSULA 10, NO. 7 THOMAS JEFFERSON 0
Alli Kimball hit a home run and twirled a no-hitter in the circle to send the top-ranked Seahawks to the state tournament.
Peninsula’s ace pitcher dominated Jefferson’s lineup, whiffing 12 batters and walking a pair. She threw 86 pitches across six hitless innings — 56 of them strikes — and put together a perfect 3-for-3 performance at the plate, including a third-inning home run.
Peyton Davis stole home in the bottom of the sixth inning for Peninsula’s tenth run, which ended the game via 10-run rule.
Peninsula (19-1) picked up two first-inning runs when Malia Coit scored on Glory Estabrook’s sacrifice bunt and Davis singled home Eliza Brown.
Kimball’s home run to center field gave the Seahawks a 3-0 lead. She finished with three RBI after singling home Coit and Aislinn O’Reilly in the fifth.
In the sixth, Peninsula doubled their total across a five-run inning. Thursday’s 10-0 shutout win puts the Seahawks in the District 3/4 3A semifinal on Saturday.
Kimball (13-1, 0.52) struck out 169 batters across 80 1/3 innings entering Thursday. She walked only seven batters and allowed just six earned runs in 16 appearances.
NO. 2 BONNEY LAKE 13, NO. 8 GIG HARBOR 5
Ace pitcher Bella Carazo tossed a complete game and Bonney Lake pounced on Gig Harbor for a 13-5 win in the opening round of the District 3/4 3A tournament.
The Panthers (18-2, 12-0) advanced to the district semifinals and, regardless of outcome, punched their ticket to the state tournament.
“The girls were super excited. This is the first time they’ve been able to experience this,” said coach Kate Zender. “This is something we’ve been eyeing all season long, and we finally made it to that point.”
Coaches in the 3A PCL named Carazo (15-2, 1.17) the league’s Player of the Year one season after naming her Pitcher of the Year in 2021. On Thursday, Gig Harbor pounced on Carazo for a pair of early runs, though Bonney Lake would soon make up the ground.
“Kudos to Gig Harbor for giving us a fight,” Zender said. “But yeah, unusual for Carazo, for sure.
“She rarely gives up more than one or two, if any.”
Madilyn Cannady, Kyla Cross, and Bella Jones (two) all smacked home runs for the Panthers. Carazo posted a 3-for-4 day at the plate, in addition to a seven-inning performance on the mound which featured 12 strikeouts.
“We build our confidence and our energy off of her,” Zender said. “She is so well poised and confident in herself, and the girls just feed right into that.”
Gig Harbor lost again Thursday in a loser-out meeting with No. 11 Auburn Mountainview, 12-6.
NO. 4 PRAIRIE 10, NO. 6 LAKES 0
Rylee Wall stifled Lancer hitters and Prairie downed Lakes to punch their state-tournament ticket.
Lakes’ offense found just two hits throughout Wall’s five-inning complete game, who struck out seven and walked one. Makenna Quenga and Mia Banner both singled in the third.
The Lancers put runners in scoring position in each of the first three innings, but Wall worked out of every jam. She worked a pair of inning-ending strikeouts in each of the first two frames and induced a flyout from Jessica Hendrickx to end the third.
Wall tossed perfect fourth and fifth innings. Second baseman Alysia Fraly drove in four runs and leadoff hitter Pravina Blunk posted a 3-for-3 day at the plate.
Lakes can still reach the state tournament, but Thursday’s 10-0 loss makes for a tougher road. They’ll need a win later in the evening in a loser-out contest, plus a second victory Saturday in two chances.
NO. 5 YELM 18, NO. 3 AUBURN RIVERSIDE 16
There was no shortage of offense between the Tornados and Ravens in their matchup in the District 3/4 3A tournament.
The scoring for Yelm started quickly as they tacked two on the board in the top of the first inning. The next two frames were scoreless, and then Auburn Riverside scored their first run.
Then the madness began as the both teams combined for 31 more runs.
“It was a really fun game, it kept everyone on their toes. Both teams hit the ball really well. Auburn Riverside had three home runs, while both teams combined for 40 total hits,” said Yelm coach Lindsay Walton. “Auburn Riverside is a strong team. To face them first, get a solid win, and to score in multiple hits and runs is a great exciting way to start the playoffs. Our girls were fired up, and we are hoping to carry this performance through the tournament. I think their hitting is coming together, everyone was producing and it was very solid.”
Senior Ashlyn Aven arguably did the most damage for the Tornados. The third baseman went 3-for-4 with two home runs, five RBI and four runs scored. Right behind her in terms of production was senior left fielder Elena Castanon.
She went a perfect five-for-five with two RBI and a run score.
Yelm clinched a spot in the 3A state tournament with their win over the Ravens. They also secured a date to play Bonney Lake at noon Saturday, May 21.
Y: 2-0-1-5-4-2-4-- 18|22|0
AR: 0-1-4-0-2-4-5-- 16|18|1
Y: Ashlyn Aven sr, 3B 3-4, 4 R, 5 RBI, BB, 2 HR; Elena Castanon LF 5-5 4 R, 2 RBI
NO. 13 AUBURN 21, NO. 10 LINCOLN 19
Auburn outlasted Lincoln in a slugfest and won Thursday’s loser-out meeting to advance in the District 3/4 3A tournament.
The Trojans scored first and led the back-and-forth battle by as many as nine runs. The Abes regrouped by the fifth inning and rallied to tie the game before Auburn reclaimed the lead and held on to win.
“They came together and said, ‘if this is going to be the last game, we’re going to leave it on the field,’” said Lincoln coach Haylie Tulupan. “We want to make sure that we have the right mindset going into every inning, so that we can do what we’re capable of doing.”
Lincoln’s Paytience Kamuta crushed a bases-clearing double and walked twice in Thursday’s loss. Pitcher Savanna Sigette added a 4-for-5 performance at the plate.
Auburn (7-14, 5-9 NSPL) later dropped a loser-out meeting to No. 3 Auburn Riverside, 15-0.
NO. 12 TIMBERLINE 13, NO. 6 LAKES 3
After not finishing in a place they set out for at the beginning of the season, the Blazers had their sights set making some noise at the District 3/4 3A tournament.
And after working intensely hard on their hitting to provide run support to sophomore pitcher Jazmyne Polanco, they did just that.
Coming out swinging against Stadium, Timberline secured a 11-1 win to advance to a second round game against the Lancers. The Blazers already played Lakes in a non-league matchup and won 9-0. So even though there was some familiarity, coach Lynsi Polanco wanted her team to not be overconfident in this matchup.
“The thing about Lakes was that I was more worried about them. We played them and won 9-0 earlier in the season. I didn’t want my team to get overconfident,” she said. “I tell my team to really try to take it one pitch and one out at a time. They won their innings and kept composure.”
Polonco cruised to win for the Blazers thanks to her dominance on the mound. She went the distance, striking out 12 batters, and only giving up three runs (two of which were earned).
The sophomore pitcher helped her own cause by going 2-for-4 in the game, launching a home run and getting a triple as well. She finished with an RBI and two runs scored. Juniors Tori Trotter and Avaleis Wilson each went 3-for-5 in the game as well.
Trotter had two doubles, two RBI, and three runs scored; and Wilson had just one double and RBI, but scored four runs.
Timberline has played for a chance to make it to the state tournament. In order to get there though, they have to go through Heritage at noon Saturday, May 21.
T: 1-1-2-2-0-5-2--13|13|2
L: 1-0-1-0-0-1-0--3|3|7
Highlights: (T) Avaleis Wilson 3-5, 2B, RBI, 4 R; Tori Trotter, 3-5, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 3 R; Emily Thompson 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R; Jazmyn Polanco 2-4, 3B, HR, RBI, 2 R, 7 IP, 12 K’s, 7 BB, 3 R (2 ER); (L) Makenna Quenga 1-3, 2B
MORE SCORES
No. 9 Heritage 11, No 16. Central Kitsap 9
No. 11 Auburn Mountainview 7, No. 15 Mountain View 5
