ADNA — When Toledo coach Mack Gaul spoke after Toledo’s game against Toutle Lake on Friday, he mentioned one word multiple times.
“Resilience,” Gaul said. “It’s up and down the roller coasters … It was just resilience.”
The matchup against the Ducks had plenty of ups and downs, but the Riverhawks rallied in extras to defeat Toutle Lake 10-9 and punch their ticket to the state tournament.
It’s the third time in the last four seasons that Toledo will be competing in the state tournament.
“We’ve been clawing and fighting all season long,” Gaul said. “We’ve been battling, and we earned it. I’m proud of our guys.”
After Toutle Lake took a 9-7 lead in the top of the eighth, Rohan Feigenbaum was hit by a pitch to start the bottom half. Two batters later, Eli Weeks drew a walk. Nico Acosta drove home Feigenbaum and put Weeks at third with an RBI double, and Brady Weeks drove both of them home to win it.
The final rally capped an up-and-down day for the Toledo offense.
It was clicking early, and they were able to take advantage of multiple Toutle Lake errors. Through four, the Riverhawks had seven runs across, and they led by one.
They were held scoreless over the next three innings, though, and they left the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh before winning it in the eighth.
“They came through when we needed it,” Gaul said. “When the time came, especially the top of the order, they provided.”
Acosta and Brady Weeks finished with two RBIs apiece, and Ryker Sorensen tallied Toledo’s other RBI. The other five runs were unearned, and three of Toutle Lake’s errors were also unearned. By the end of the game, the two teams had combined for 12 errors.
The Riverhawks (16-8) will play Napavine in the district tournament third-place game on Saturday afternoon in Chehalis, and then they will learn their state tournament seeding and first-round opponent on Sunday.
“It’ll be exciting,” Gaul said. “The guys are excited to travel somewhere. It’s supposed to be a fun experience for them … We’ll be ready for whoever we play.”
