Adna's Tabitha Dowell is called out at home plate as she is tagged out by Toutle Lake's Sam Woodley during the District 4 2B Softball Championship game at Fort Borst Park in Centralia on Sunday.
Adna's Tabitha Dowell bobbles a ground ball during the District 4 2B Softball Championship game at Fort Borst Park in Centralia on Sunday.
Toutle Lake lifts the District 4 Championship trophy after defeating Adna 11-10 in the District 4 2B Championship game at Fort Borst Park in Centralia on Sunday.
Adna's Samantha Rolfe connects with a pitch during the District 4 2B Softball Championship game at Fort Borst Park in Centralia on Sunday.
Adna's Samantha Rolfe smiles after touching home plate surrounded by teammates after Rolfe hit a home run during the District 4 2B Softball Championship game at Fort Borst Park in Centralia on Sunday.
Adna's Samantha Rolfe winds up for a pitch during the District 4 2B Softball Championship game at Fort Borst Park in Centralia on Sunday.
Adna's Darian Humphrey fields a ground ball during the District 4 2B Softball Championship game at Fort Borst Park in Centralia on Sunday.
Adna's Tabitha Dowell fields a pop up during the District 4 2B Softball Championship game at Fort Borst Park in Centralia on Sunday.
Adna's Shanay Dotson swings at a pitch during the District 4 2B Softball Championship game at Fort Borst Park in Centralia on Sunday. The pitch was strike three to end the game.
Adna's Devanie Kleemeyer (22) and Josey Sandrini (8) celebrate after both scored with coach Jessika Jo Sandrini during the District 4 2B Softball Championship game at Fort Borst Park in Centralia on Sunday.
Adna's Jenikka Pope pitches during the District 4 2B Softball Championship game at Fort Borst Park in Centralia on Sunday.
Adna's Shanay Dotson looks to throw to first base after fielding a ground ball during the District 4 2B Softball Championship game at Fort Borst Park in Centralia on Sunday.
For the third year in a row, Adna and Toutle Lake met in the 2B District 4 softball championship. But Adna, which won in 2014 and 2015, was unable to take its third straight district title, falling to the Ducks 11-10 in an error-filled, back-and-forth game at Borst Park in Centralia Sunday.
Toutle Lake entered the bottom of the sixth inning trailing 10-8, but scored three runs on three hits to take the final lead of the game. Ashlyn McDaniel opened the inning with a double, then Britzy Hockett followed with another double to score McDaniel, making it 10-9. The Ducks took the lead on a two-run double by Mikayla Deffenbaugh, to score Hockett and Samantha Woodley, who had reached base on an error.
“Our defense and our communication kind of let us down today,” Adna coach Mike Raschke said. “We hit the ball like we always have. Our pitching was phenomenal. We didn’t back them up today.”
Adna committed six errors in the game to Toutle Lake’s four.
Both Adna and Toutle Lake had already clinched spots at next week’s state tournament in Yakima.
“Hopefully with three practices we can clean it up,” Raschke said. “I know we will. I have faith in these girls, faith in my seniors to pick it up. It’s a great group of kids...We’re on the opposite side of the bracket so hopefully we’ll have Toutle Lake in the State Championship.”
Toutle Lake took the early lead, scoring one run in the bottom of the first on an Adna error.
“I told our girls the old cliche that they wanted it more than we did,” Raschke said. I don’t believe that, i just think that we gave it to them. I bet you three or four of their runs were unearned. Good teams can’t do that.”
Toutle Lake’s lead jumped to 4-1 after three innings. Woodley hit a sacrifice fly to score Hockett, and on the next play Deffenbaugh hit an RBI groundout, as Shelby Levang reached home.
Hockett led the Ducks with three hits.
The Pirates took their first lead of the game in the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Samantha Rolfe led off with a single, and — following a single by Tabitha Dowell — scored on a Toutle Lake error. A Kendra Stajduhar RBI single made it 4-3. Adna tied the game with its second unearned run of the inning on a Toutle Lake error, then took the lead with a one-run single by shortstop Shanay Dotson.
Dotson finished the game 3 for 5 with a double and an RBI.
The Pirates stretched their lead to 6-4 in the top of the fifth, with a solo home run from Rolfe. Rolfe was 2 for 4 on the day.
Toutle Lake tied the game in the bottom of the fifth, on a two RBI double from Ashlynn Dean. The Ducks scored two more runs on a Toutle Lake error on the next at-bat to make it 8-6.
Dean started at pitcher for Toutle Lake, though the Ducks made four pitching changes over the course of the game, with Dean and Rae Curry both making two appearances in the circle.
Adna’s Devanie Kleemeyer tied the game with an RBI single in the top of the sixth. Katelyn Pine gave the Pirates a 10-8 lead later in the inning with a two-run double. It was the second hit of the game for Pine.
But the Pirates were unable to hold the lead, as Toutle Lake, which fell to Adna 7-1 in 2014 and 10-1 a year ago, captured the district title.
“Both of us had a couple boots here and there,” Raschke said. “We’ll flush this game and move on.”
Adna and Toutle Lake begin State Tournament play May 27 at the Gateway Sports Complex in Yakima.
