YAKIMA — Both Napavine and Pe Ell/Willapa Valley made it to Day 2 of the 2B State Tournament in Yakima, but neither were able to earn a state tournament trophy, falling in the elimination bracket on Saturday afternoon.
Napavine beat Kittitas 10-8 before falling to Toledo 12-10 to fall one win shy of a top-four finish, while PWV lost 8-6 to River View to finish two wins shy of a trophy.
“Nobody likes to lose,” Napavine coach Josh Fay said. “But people lose on the last days of seasons. That’s how they go.”
The Tigers raced out to a big lead against Kittitas, scoring nine runs in the first three frames, but the Coyotes rallied back within two in the seventh to make it interesting.
The script flipped against Toledo, when the Tigers fell behind 10-2 and later trailed 12-3 entering the seventh. They rallied, scoring seven runs before the potential tying run popped out to end the game.
“Wouldn’t be a Napavine-Toledo game if it wasn’t two runs or less,” Fay said. “We tried to uphold our end of that.”
Hayden Kaut hit two home runs between the two games, driving in five runs, and Taylen Evander collected three hits and four RBIs across both games. Dakota Lyons added four hits and two RBIs, and Lyla Kirkpatrick added three hits and two RBIs.
“Being a Top 6 team, we’re not given a trophy for that,” Fay added. “But making it down to those final six teams and giving ourselves a shot at the end, it’s a big deal for us. It’s been a while since Napavine has been in that position. We’re clawing our way back into relevance in the softball world. I’m proud of the girls for that.”
After the game, the Tigers (21-5) met in the grass beyond the right field fence, sharing hugs, laughs, and tears.
It was an especially emotional scene for Napavine’s seven seniors: Kaut, Rylynn Williams, Hannah Fay, Clara Fay, Evander, Kirkpatrick, and Hollie Brockmueller.
“It’s hard, they’re like kids. All of them to me,” Josh Fay started before his voice cracked and tears swelled in his eyes under his sunglasses. “Good kids. They’re awesome.”
The last four years for this senior class have been nothing to scoff at. Across all sports, they reached the state tournament eight times (four basketball, two in both soccer and fastpitch), and won four state trophies, including a state basketball title in 2024.
“We accomplished a lot the last four years,” Kaut said. “It does not feel real. We have graduation in two weeks from yesterday or whatever it was … It’s insane. It’s sad, but we all know there’s so much ahead of us in life. It’s a crazy feeling.”
It was a similar feeling for PWV, who also met beyond the right field fence after its final game.
The Titans (21-8) fell behind 6-0 in the first against River View, rallied back to get within one in the second, but never tied the game. By the time they scored their sixth run, River View had already tacked on two insurance runs.
“I hope there are lessons learned about being complacent right off the get go,” PWV coach Eric Hopfer said. “In life in general, you can’t sit back and take time to warm up. Sometimes it’s time to go as soon as you step on the field. Hopefully, those lessons are learned for them.”
In Saturday’s game, Jillian Hodel drove in two runs, Ruby Magruder added two hits, and Magruder, Lauren Matlock, and Layla Andrews each drove in a run. Rylin Channell chipped in three hits and also drew a walk in her other plate appearance, and Sophia Milanowski also collected a pair of hits.
Postgame, Hopfer took a moment with several of his players, including his seniors: Bella Ruddell, CJ Sipp, Hodel, Matlock, Eliza Barnum, Rilyn Channell, Milanowski, and Kristy Jerles.
“I’m sad that the ride is over,” Hopfer said. “For some of them, they’re pretty heartbroken. Maybe we were trying to do a little too much, and we fell a little short … They definitely had fun. They did a great job of building these younger kids and being supportive. That’s one thing that I would definitely applaud a lot.”
Hopfer expressed his confidence in those younger players that will be back next spring, but he also couldn’t help but smile when talking about his senior class.
“Even as freshmen and sophomores, they were crazy,” Hopfer said while laughing. “I’m gonna miss them.”
