The Centralia softball team pulled away late on Wednesday against Black Hills, turning a one-run game into a dominant 15-1 victory with 13 runs in the final three innings.
Lauren Wasson gave the Tigers (9-7, 4-5 2A EvCo) an early jolt with a solo home run in the top of the first, and Payton Baumel made it 2-0 with an RBI single later in the inning.
Ella Goheen settled into the game in the circle, and Hollynn Wakefield kept the Wolves (5-10, 1-8 2A EvCo) scoreless until they scored a run on a wild pitch in the bottom of the fourth.
Centralia led just 2-1 going into the fifth, but the bats exploded from there. The Tigers scored four in both the fifth and sixth innings and they added five more in the seventh, including Wasson’s second home run of the day, a three-run shot to center.
Wakefield finished off her stellar pitching performance in the bottom half. She finished with 10 strikeouts while allowing just four hits and a run.
Baumel finished with three hits and four runs batted in, and Chloe Bonomi tallied two hits and four RBIs of her own.
Brooklyn Sprague went 3 for 5 with an RBI and scored three runs, and Makenzie Erickson collected two hits at the plate, including a triple.
At 4-5 in league play, the Tigers are tied with Rochester for the fourth and final playoff spot in the EvCo with three league games to play.
They’ll have their rematch with the Warriors on Wednesday, May 8, but before then, they’ll host Aberdeen on Friday and head to Tumwater on Monday.
Black Hills will head to Shelton on Friday.
