Wednesday's 2B Softball: Pe Ell-Willapa Valley Captures League Title

NAPAVINE — Pe Ell-Willapa Valley could not be stopped at the plate, collecting 28 total hits in two games to sweep Napavine in a Central 2B League softball doubleheader here on Wednesday.

The win secured the Central 2B League title for the undefeated Titans, a first for PWV’s three senior starters Dakota Brooks, Abby Hodel and Railey Smith.

“We’ve waited four years for this. Every game, it was like we need to get to this spot and we finally made it. It’s awesome,” Brooks, the defending C2BL MVP, said. “It means a lot to the girls, and my dad is a coach, so it means a lot to be able to win it with him and for him.”

It’s also the first title for Titan head coach Ken Olson at PWV.

“It feels awesome. It’s been awhile,” Olson, who won a few league titles during his long run with Centralia, said. “I told them at the start of the season I thought we had the pitching to do it, and I thought we had the defense and the offense. The offense showed it today. … They’re just a great group of kids and I enjoy coaching them.”

The Titans won Game 1, 19-1, in four innings with 12 hits and 10 runs in the fourth inning to end the game early. Brooks tossed a complete game, allowing just one hit.

Game 2 was a similar story, as the Titans scored at least three runs in each inning while collecting 16 hits total for a 21-3 win in five.

The Titans hit five home runs over the course of the afternoon, with Brooks, Abby Hodel, Sid Pollard, Katelyn McGow and Brittany Patrick all leaving the park.

“We’re swinging the bats well right now, and (we had) pretty good pitching today,” Olson said. “(Napavine’s) Abbi Music is one of the best pitchers in the league, and we put the ball in play hardm so I’m proud of our kids for stepping up.”

Paxton Cooley was 2 for 3 in Game 2 with a double for the Tigers.

“That’s the best team we’re going to see this year, without a doubt,” Napavine coach Chad Williams said, noting that the team was able to work in a new pitcher but lost another player to a back injury. “Yeah, we got smashed twice, but they do that to a lot of people. You don’t learn a lot from wins, you learn a lot more from losses and we will definitely come out tomorrow and work on some things.”

Pe Ell-Willapa Valley (14-0, 14-0 league) has four games left, but only two league games remaining as the Titans travel to Onalaska on Tuesday for a C2BL doubleheader.

“We still have two tough games against Onalaska,” Olson said. “When you get into postseason, you just have to keep doing what you’re doing when you’re having success. I can’t change what’s working.”

Napavine (9-6, 9-5 league) travels to Randle on Monday to face Morton-White Pass in a C2BL doubleheader.

MWP Dominates Rainier in Sweep

RAINIER — The Timberwolves racked up 39 hits in eight innings for a 22-0, 25-3 Central 2B League sweep of Rainier here Wednesday.

Zoe McCoy and Chloee Justice combined for a three-inning no-hitter in Game 1. Justice was also 3 for 3 at the plate with a double, while Emily Hazen went 4 for 4 and doubled and Carly King hit a pair of doubles and went 3 for 3.

The nightcap was more of the same. King homered, doubled and went 3 for 3, Tayla Pierson was 2 for 2 with a triple, Haley Senderak was 2 for 2 with a double, and Chloe Goble went 3 for 4 for the winners. Morton-White Pass led 13-2 after two innings, though Rainier’s Sandra Miles launched a first-inning home run.

“Our defense played well. We didn’t have any errors and we hit the ball great tonight,” MWP coach Rob Hazen said. “It was an all-around performance, I thought.”

Morton-White Pass (6-6, 6-6 league) hosts Adna on Friday in Morton.