YAKIMA — The Napavine Tigers were tired of finishing second in championship games and were trying to right the ship here on Saturday at the State 2B softball tournament championship game against Northwest Christian.
The Crusaders scored a run in the first inning, and the Tiger bats couldn’t get going in a 3-0 loss as Northwest Christian earned the Gold Glove trophy.
It is the first time since 2007 when Concrete won that a Central 2B League team hasn’t won the title.
Abbi Music struck out 11 batters and allowed just four hits, but it didn’t matter in a second place finish.
“I think we had some fire in our bellies this morning, came out, beat Ocosta. Just couldn’t make balls fall in the championship game when we needed them to,” Music said.
The senior committed to playing softball at Lower Columbia next season is referencing the two hits Napavine had in the title game, a single by Maddie Thompson and a double by Kaiya Larson.
“We’re hitting the ball to people and not adjusting to the change in pitching,” Music said.
The Crusaders plated a run in the first inning on a dropped third strike that was thrown to first for the out, allowing the runner on third to score for a 1-0 lead.
Northwest Christian added two runs in the fifth. A wild pitch allowed the run from third to score and an error helped a runner come around from first base and score the third and final run of the game.
Napavine left eight runners on base and had a runners in scoring position in multiple innings, but couldn’t quite get a run across.
“We got done talking and we were really just one or two hits from breaking it open. We had runners on a lot, just couldn’t get the timely hit,” Napavine coach Chad Williams said. “It’s tough on them. I think this group really wanted it, just fell a little bit short.”
After the game, Williams felt his team had accomplished a lot this season but knew the loss would sting for a while.
“You can’t be too disappointed with the overall result and eventually we’ll look at this as a good thing but right now, it’s pretty raw and it doesn’t feel that great,” Williams said.
The Tigers completed the regular season as Central 2B League champs and won the district championship against Pe Ell-Willapa Valley, 6-4, to claim the program’s first district title last Saturday.
Napavine seniors Maddie Thompson, Taylor Denault, Cortney Oster, Jenna Sisson, Hannah Hammond and Music leave the program with three second place finishes at the state tournament. Even though they never won a title, there’s no doubt they achieved a lot in their four years in a Napavine uniform.
“This is their third championship game and unfortunately, they’ve not fulfilled that last goal but they’re going to look back at this some day as a major accomplishment and hopefully get recognized for it,” Williams said. “Later on down the road, I’m sure people will look back at this group of girls as a really successful program and a really successful team.”
When asked what these seniors have meant to this program, Chad Williams summed it up in one word: Everything.
“Without this group of seniors, we don’t get to districts,” Williams said. “They’re instrumental in everything we do.”
For Music, she viewed the second place finishes as something not many teams or players get to accomplish in their careers.
“Super proud. Freshman year, I was scared. Came out here, got second,” Music said. “Last year, we weren’t expected to do much, came out here. Did it again this year, a lot of teams don’t make it this far so it’s an accomplishment in itself.”
Music was happy to play four years with friends and memories she will cherish for a long time.
“I love every single one of them,” Music said. “It’s going to be hard not to play with them again.”
Pe Ell-Willapa Valley Swings Past Adna for Third Place
YAKIMA — The Titans collected 16 hits as the bats came alive for Pe Ell-Willapa Valley on Saturday, winning four straight games and capped off by a 13-4 win over Adna to claim third place in the State 2B softball tournament.
After a loss in the quarterfinals on Friday to eventual champion Northwest Christian, PWV won four straight games and scored 64 runs in the four games to finish with a trophy.
“They played fantastic. You score 64 runs in four games, you’re doing something right,” PWV coach Ken Olson said. “...They put on a show today, they ought to be super proud of that.”
Sid Pollard hit a home run and a double with five RBIs and three runs. Katie Adkins had three hits, three runs and two RBIs.
Adna’s Jenikka Poppe hit a home run in her final prep softball game and fellow senior Darian Humphrey had a hit and a run. Skye Snow added two hits for the Pirates.
The Pirates fell in the semifinals to Northwest Christian, but coach Bruce Pocklington was proud of his team’s performance this weekend.
“I’m really proud of them. Should have won the semifinal, we left a lot of runners on today. We didn’t hit the ball when we needed to,” Pocklington said. “We had really good pitching. I’m really proud of how far we’ve come.”
It was Pocklington’s first year as head coach, but when asked if he expected his team to get this far in his first season, he smiled.
“Yep. Our goal was to play in the last game,” Pocklington said as tears of joy slid down his face. “It was the wrong last game.”
Pocklington gathered himself to talk about how excited he was for the future of the Pirates, even losing seniors Poppe, Humphrey and Abby Kruger.
“We’re going to be OK. We lose three important seniors that played really well,” Pocklington said. “But we’ll be back.”
The Titans lose just one senior in Pollard. She will be taking her talents to Montana State University Billings to play softball next season.
“We’re going to be sad to lose Sid Pollard and that’s a tough moment but she’s a hell of a person,” Olson said. “I’m going to miss her, the team’s going to miss her.”
With just one graduating, Olson was ecstatic about the team he has coming back next season.
“Probably more than anything, we’ll have more kids than we know what to do with. Everybody loves to play softball out there,” Olson said. “It’s a softball haven for me, I’m blessed. I’ve got some great kids out in that area. So if I can hang on, I’ll come back and see where we end up next year.”
Consolation Semifinals
Titans Crush Wildcats in Consolation Semifinals
YAKIMA — PWV swung the bats early and often, pummeling Ocosta in a 19-9 win in five innings in a State 2B softball consolation semifinal game here on Saturday.
Sid Pollard had two hits, an RBI and five runs. Britney Patrick had four hits including a double and four runs. Katie Adkins added two hits and three runs for the Titans.
PWV scored 11 runs in the second inning and had 22 total hits in the win.
Adna Defeats Onalaska to End Loggers’ Season
YAKIMA — The Pirates scored five runs in the first inning and cruised to a 10-0 win in a State 2B softball consolation semifinal game here on Saturday.
Freshman Haley Rainey struck out seven batters and allowed just two hits in the circle to earn the win.
Rainey was 2 for 3 at the plate with two doubles and Darian Humphrey was also 2 for 3 with two runs and an RBI.
Jenikka Poppe was 2 for 2 and Kooper Mohney hit a home run for the Pirates.
Adna had 12 hits in the contest while Onalaska managed just two hits.
Semifinals
Errors Cost Pirates in Semifinals Against Northwest Christian
YAKIMA — Adna led 6-5 and had their sights set on the championship game, but errors cost the Pirates as the Crusaders won 8-6 to earn a spot in the championship game in a State 2B softball semifinal game on Saturday.
The Pirates had three errors in the seventh inning and a double by Northwest Christian plated three runs to take an 8-6 lead.
Darian Humphrey hit a double in the seventh, but Adna couldn’t string any more hits behind her as Northwest Christian held on to punch a ticket to the title game.
Humphrey was 2 for 4 with a run and a double and Olivia Rodriguez was 2 for 4 with a run. Skye Snow hit a 3-run home run in the first inning.
The Pirates led 5-1 after the first inning, but Northwest Christian hung around and gained their first lead of the game in the seventh.
Music Pitches Tigers Into Title Game
YAKIMA — Abbi Music struck out 13 batters for the Tigers to lead Napavine to a 7-5 win over Ocosta and earn their second straight trip to the championship game in a State 2B softball tournament semifinal game.
Music added a double, triple, two RBIs and two runs at the plate. Solana Sanchez had two hits and Rae Sisson scored two runs.
Ocosta led 2-0 after two innings, but Napavine scored four runs in the third inning to take the lead and never relinquished it.
Consolation Quarterfinals
Onalaska Stays Alive By Eliminating Dayton/Waitsburg
YAKIMA — The Lady Loggers kept their season going in the consolation quarterfinals, defeating Dayton/Waitsburg 11-4 in the State 2B softball tournament on Saturday.
Hayli Howard had three runs and Olivia Mitten, Adalee Sabin and Alicia Vint each scored two runs.
Dayton/Waitsburg scored two runs in the first inning, but the Loggers tied the game in the second inning and added four runs in the third inning to take the lead and never looked back.
Tanna Holmes earned the win in the circle for the Loggers.
Titans Crush Wolverines in Consolation Quarterfinals
YAKIMA — Pe Ell-Willapa Valley scored 12 runs in the third inning to end the game after three in a 19-1 win over Friday Harbor in a State 2B softball tournament consolation quarterfinal game here on Saturday.
The Titans accumulated nine hits in the 12-run third inning. Katelyn McGough, Katie Adkins and Sid Pollard each had three hits and three runs in the win.
PWV totaled 16 hits in the game.
Saturday Morning Games
Loggers Chop Down Vikings in Saturday Opener
YAKIMA — Onalaska used 14 hits to defeat Orcas Island 13-2 in five innings in a State 2B softball tournament consolation game on Saturday morning.
Amy Henderson struck out eight batters in the circle for the Lady Loggers.
Henderson helped out at the plate, going 3 for 3 with a triple and a run. Alicia Vint was 3 for 3 with a double and three runs.
Hayli Howard added two hits and a run and Tanna Holmes contributed two hits and two runs for Onalaska.
Orcas Island took a 2-1 lead after the second inning, but the Lady Loggers scored three runs in the third inning to regain the lead and poured in nine runs over the final two frames to end the game.
Titans Start Saturday With Win Over Brewster
YAKIMA — Pe Ell-Willapa Valley’s woke up early with the Titans here on Saturday morning, collecting 13 hits en route to a 13-0 win in five innings over Brewster to begin Day 2 of the State 2B softball tournament.
Sid Pollard had two triples and three runs and Britney Patrick hit a double and a home run.
The Titans scored three runs in the first and added 10 more runs over the next three frames to cap the game at five innings.
