W.F. West coach Mike Keen high-fives Kim Frazier next to Kindra Davis after Frazier struck out the last batter of the inning during a nonleague game against Prairie on Wednesday at Recreation Park in Chehalis.
W.F. West's Kindra Davis preapres to throw to first base after fielding a ground ball as teammate Kassidy Grandorff looks on during a nonleague game against Prairie on Wednesday at Recreation Park in Chehalis.
W.F. West's Olivia Dean (far right) and Kyndra Haller (1) cheer on teammates from the dugout during a nonleague game against Prairie on Wednesday at Recreation Park in Chehalis.
W.F. West's Jordan Crawford takes a cut during a nonleague game against Prairie on Wednesday at Recreation Park in Chehalis.
W.F. West coach Mike Keen congratulates Tessa Wollan after she rounds third base after hitting a home run during a nonleague game against Prairie on Wednesday at Recreation Park in Chehalis.
W.F. West's Roni Braun fields a fly ball during a nonleague game against Prairie on Wednesday at Recreation Park in Chehalis. Braun caught the ball for the final out of the game.
W.F. West's Tessa Wollan (5) approaches home plate as her teammates wait after Wollan hit a home run during a nonleague game against Prairie on Wednesday at Recreation Park in Chehalis.
W.F. West coach Mike Keen smiles while talking to his team after earning his 300th career win after the Bearcats defeated Prairie 9-3 on Wednesday at Recreation Park in Chehalis.
W.F. West's Kyndra Haller approaches home plate after hitting a home run during a nonleague game against Prairie on Wednesday at Recreation Park in Chehalis.
W.F. West's Taylor Barker slides into home plate during a nonleague game against Prairie on Wednesday at Recreation Park in Chehalis.
W.F. West's Lexie Strasser winds up for a pitch during a nonleague game against Prairie on Wednesday at Recreation Park in Chehalis.
W.F. West's Kassidy Grandorff throws to first base after fielding a ground ball during a nonleague game against Prairie on Wednesday at Recreation Park in Chehalis.
W.F. West's Kassidy Grandorff fields a ground ball during a nonleague game against Prairie on Wednesday at Recreation Park in Chehalis.
W.F. West's Olivia Dean fields a ground ball during a nonleague game against Prairie on Wednesday at Recreation Park in Chehalis.
Kyndra Haller and Tessa Wollan hit home runs for W.F. West, helping the Bearcats to a 9-3 win over Prairie in Chehalis on Wednesday, and giving coach Mike Keen his 300th career victory.
W.F. West scored four runs in the sixth inning — started by Wollan’s solo homer — to open up a six run lead that would hold the rest of the way, as Keen earned the milestone win.
Keen is in his 14th season with W.F. West, which has won two state titles during his tenure — in 2012 and 2015.
“It shows that we’ve had some really good talent over the years,” Keen said. “This is a fun group of kids, too. The highlight of their day is to get together and play and practice. … It’s fun to be at this school.”
W.F. West improves to a perfect 16-0 this season. The Bearcats opened up a 5-0 lead in the bottom of the second, when Kassidy Grandorff followed a Lexie Strasser single with a two RBI double to break the scoreless tie. The sequence was capped by a two-run homer from Haller — the No. 2 batter in the lineup.
“Everyone’s hitting, we don’t have a weak point in our lineup,” Wollan said. “Usually we don’t have a two hitter hitting a home run. Most teams don’t have that, so it’s pretty awesome that we’re doing as good as we are.”
The Bearcats prevented Prairie from getting a runner on base until the fourth inning, and held the Falcons scoreless until the fifth.
“We’ve definitely gotten on the field more toward the end of the season," Wollan said, “so that’s helped us improve our fielding from all the errors we had at the beginning of the season.”
Keen also felt the team’s fielding has improved as the season has progressed.
“We’re getting outside the practice more which helps a lot,” he said. “And they’re starting to get comfortable and confident.”
Haller, the Bearcats’ second baseman, added, “Me and [shortstop] OJ [Dean] in the middle, we’ve just clicked.”
Lexie Strasser started the game at pitcher and struck out two in the first inning. Strasser was replaced by Kim Frazier in the second. Ashlee Vadala pitched the final two innings for W.F. West, which outhit Prairie eight to four.
The Bearcats lead shrunk to 5-3 in the fifth. Prairie’s Kate Lawhead hit an RBI single, then Chloe Blehm hit a double for the Hawks. Prairie then capitalized on a W.F. West error to score two more.
But Wollan’s solo homer to open the sixth inning extended W.F. West’s advantage. Following Wollan, four consecutive Bearcats had base hits.
Ashley Hovan singled, then Haller hit an RBI triple to make it 7-3. Haller finished 2 for 3 with three RBIs.
Ashlee Vadala followed with an RBI double, and a single from Kindra Davis scored another as the lead stretched to six.
Josey Lesmeister started on the mound for Prairie, and was replaced by Tristan St. Peter in the sixth.
W.F. West is 6-0 in the Evergreen 2A Conference this year, giving the Bearcats a two-game lead over Tumwater with three games remaining in the regular season before the district tournament begins.
“We’re ready to move to districts and get prepared for that,” Wollan said.
W.F. West plays at Tumwater on Friday.
Kelso Drops Centralia
KELSO — Leticia Ramirez hit a solo home run in the sixth inning, but that was the lone bright spot for the Tigers, which lost to Kelso 9-1 in a nonleague game here on Wednesday.
Kelso had five runs in the first inning, including a three-run home run, to pull ahead and never looked back.
“If we make a couple plays in the first inning and get out of the inning, it’s a 1-0 ball game,” Centralia coach Mike McDonald said.
The Tigers managed just three hits, including Ramirez’s home run.
“We played fairly well defensively, just didn’t swing the bats well,” McDonald said. “We couldn’t get it going. We’d hit the ball at people, that hurt us in a couple of spots.”
Aspen Lilly pitched all seven innings for the Tigers, giving up nine runs on eight hits in the loss.
Centralia (2-14, 1-5 league) will host Black Hills in an Evergreen 2A Conference game on Friday.
