The long-standing history of the Class 2B District 4 tournament has been one-sided.
Even though the P2BL – primarily the Pe Ell/Willapa Valley softball team – is represented in the district final, the rest of the league rarely gets multiple state bids.
Recent history has been kind to the south. The league secured four of the five state spots in 2023 and three last spring.
Still, there hadn’t been two teams from the P2BL that met in a district final since the turn of the century.
Until Wednesday.
The Titans opened up the offense against Rainier and Napavine, combining for 35 hits in 13-3 and 15-5 verdicts to reach the district championship game against Raymond/South Bend during the first day of districts at Fort Borst Park.
“I felt like we were going to come out and hit the crap out of the ball,” PWV head coach Eric Hopfer said.
Originally scheduled to have two days of rest, impending weather pushed the second day of districts from Saturday to Thursday. PWV (18-4) will get a third meeting with the Ravens in the span of 10 days.
It captured the outright league title with a 19-0 and 11-0 sweep.
“We’ll see how it goes,” Hopfer said. “It’ll come down to pitching.”
Heavy hearts have graced the Titans dugout over the last few days. Senior Lorelei Smaciarz was involved in a car crash after senior night on May 6 that required her to be flown to Tacoma General Hospital.
They had her No. 15 jersey in the dugout and wore helmet stickers. Any way to make sure Smaciarz was still around, PWV did it.
“The girls already had plans,” Hopfer said. “They play for one another.”
In the semifinals versus Napavine (15-4), the Titans’ lead was trimmed to 6-4 before they blew the game open with a five-run fifth. Karli Phelps launched a solo home run, Jillian Hodel and Rilyn Channel notched run-scoring hits and Tylar Keeton capped the frame with a two-run double.
Sophia Milankowski hit a line drive three-run home run in the seventh for PWV. Eight of its nine hitters registered at least two hits with the top-four in the lineup combining for 11 of its 14 RBIs. Eliza Barnum struck out nine in the circle in a complete game performance.
“No matter what, they know they have it in themselves,” Hopfer said. “They’re getting older, more mature. They know their hitting is good.”
Napavine’s Hannah Fay hit two home runs in the loss and was responsible for three of its six hits. Dakota Lyons roped a double in a rare quiet offensive showing for the Tigers, held to under eight runs for just the third time in a month.
Their eight-game winning streak came to an end.
“PWV had a really solid approach at the plate,” their head coach Josh Fay said. “Ran out of steam a little bit in the circle. I thought we competed well. There were opportunities we couldn't capitalize on.”
The back side of the bracket is C2BL heavy. Napavine will face Toledo in a winner to state game on Thursday, getting two chances to get one win needed to clinch a spot in Yakima.
Softball is the one sport the core group of athletes have never made state before.
“It is the same competitiveness," Coach Fay said. “If you play in Spokane Arena in front of 6,500 people, you're ready for this. No other group I’d rather go to war with.”
PWV took it to Rainier in the quarterfinals, scoring multiple runs in every inning. Keeton and Hodel each drove in four runs on three hits as the Titans finished with five extra-base hits, three by Keeton herself.
Hopfer isn’t worried about how his group will play on Thursday night, aiming for the first district title for PWV since 2019.
“The Pacific league has done really well the last several years,” he said.
