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The Chronicle - Centralia

Napavine's season ends in opening round of district tournament

The Napavine softball team’s season came to an unceremonious end on Monday, as the Tigers were defeated by Raymond-South Bend 12-3 in the opening round of the district tournament.

The Tigers got on the board first after an RSB error in the opening frame, but the Ravens responded with six in the bottom of the first, and their lead was up to 10 by the end of the third inning.

Two more Tiger runs came across thanks to another RSB error and a Taylen Evander hit by pitch, but Napavine wasn’t able to get any closer.

Evander went 1 for 3 at the plate and finished with the Tigers’ only run batted in, while Clara Fay led Napavine with two hits in three at-bats. Hayden Kaut and Brianna Lara also collected hits.

Of the 12 runs Hannah Fay allowed in the circle, only five were charged as earned. She also allowed nine hits, walked five, and struck out six.

The Tigers finish their season 14-5 and are set to graduate two seniors — Grace Gall and Avery Schutz.

Vikings cruise to win over Loggers, clinch state berth

For the second straight season, the Mossyrock softball team is heading to the state tournament.

This year’s group punched its ticket, and earned a trip to the district title game, with a dominant 23-0 victory over Wishkah Valley on Monday.

As the final score indicates, it was all Mossyrock from the first pitch. After Erin Cournyer pitched a 1-2-3 top of the first, the Vikings (9-6) scored 13 runs in the bottom half.

Cournyer struck out three straight to work out of a bases-loaded jam in the second, and the Vikings added five more before adding five more across the third and fourth innings.

Maci Rashoff pitched three no-hit innings to seal the deal.

All in all, the Vikings needed just six hits to score all of their runs, as they drew 21 walks and were hit by five pitches. As a team, they actually only recorded 15 official at-bats.

Chesney Schultz went 2 for 2 at the plate, driving in four and scoring four more. Taylor Schwartz also went 2 for 2, and she drove in three and scored a pair, while Hadleigh Gerard scored five times.

Mossyrock will take on Naselle in the district title game on Thursday in Montesano. The Vikings defeated the Comets 12-2 and 14-1 in the two teams’ previous meetings this spring.

Liddell leads Loggers past Chinooks in district opener

It was clear early on that Lisa Liddell was on her 'A' game.

After walking two of the first three batters she faced, she struck out the next two batters. In the second, she struck out two more in a 1-2-3 inning.

It was mostly smooth sailing from that point on for Liddell and the Loggers on Monday, as Onalaska topped Kalama 6-1 in the opening round of the 2B District 4 Tournament.

“I’m very proud of them,” Onalaska coach Rich Teitzel said. “This is the time of the year that we need to come together, and it was good to see it.”

Liddell led the way with a strong showing on the mound, something Teitzel said was the result of work between her, catcher Randi Haight, and Teitzel.

“She’s hitting her marks,” Teitzel said. “It’s the most we’ve been on the same page.”

After giving out two free passes in the opening frame, Liddell allowed just three baserunners (two hits, one hit batter) over the next five innings. She finished the day with 13 strikeouts, allowing just five hits and an unearned run.

The Onalaska (13-7) offense gave her plenty of support early. Haight brought home two with a single in the first, and Desi Smith appeared to double the lead with a two-run home run in the second.

Smith’s home run was confoundingly ruled a ground-rule double, however, so she was forced to stay at second, but she scored on an RBI single from Kate Zandell just one batter later to make it 4-0.

“I’m proud of the girls for not letting that get them down.” Teitzel said.

It wasn’t the first time Monday that Smith had got a hold of one. She opened the bottom of the first with a double off the wall.

“I don’t know what Desi’s eating,” Teitzel joked. “But we’re gonna put the whole team on it.”

The Loggers left two in scoring position in the fifth inning, but added two insurance runs in the sixth thanks to RBI singles from Zandell and Haight.

Haight finished with three hits in four at-bats and drove in three runs, while Zandell finished a perfect 3 for 3 at the plate with two RBIs.

With the win, Onalaska advanced to the double-elimination portion of the district tournament. The Loggers will take on Pe Ell-Willapa Valley in a quarterfinal on Wednesday at Fort Borst Park.

A win would put them through to a winner-to-state semifinal, while a loss would put them in an elimination game. Win or lose, they’ll play two on Wednesday in Centralia.

Mountaineers season ends with shutout loss in districts to Ilwaco

The Rainier High School softball team’s recent stretch of offensive firepower was abruptly shushed in the Mountaineers’ season-ending loss to Ilwaco, 2-0, in the opening round of the 2B District 1/4 tournament in Chehalis on Monday, May 13. 

Freshman ace Ryleigh Cruse gave the Mountaineers a prime opportunity to build on its offensive momentum created over their previous three games, all wins. She retired her first eight batters faced, including five by strikeout. Rainier loaded the bases in the first inning with just one out after a pair of walks and a Brooklynn Swenson single, but Cruse grounded into a double play to end the frame.

The Mountaineers again had a runner in scoring position in the third and fifth innings, including a runner on third base in the fifth, but failed to capitalize. Cruse continued to work through the Fishermen batters, striking out the side in the fifth with the score still deadlocked at 0.

“She’s been battling an injury in her elbow,” Rainier head coach Katie Qualls said of Cruse. “With her stamina and her maturity, I think the experience from eighth grade really helped her be where she is today. She’s shown so much promise. She’s been amazing.”

After the Fishermen recorded just four singles through the first five innings, their bats heated up in the sixth off of Cruse. A line drive to Swenson at shortstop was narrowly too high for her to pull down, and with two outs, Ilwaco ratted off an RBI triple into right field and an RBI single into center to take a 2-0 lead. 

Rainier’s offense, a unit that had scored an average of 14.3 runs per game in its last three contests, could not bring its runners home. With two runners aboard and just one out in the sixth, Gracie Lantz and Carolyn Ferguson struck out swinging.

Senior Olivia Earsley, hoping to extend her career, slapped a double with two strikes and two outs in the seventh inning, but fellow senior Raychel Hansen swung through a Megan Dille pitch to close out the game and season. Dille struck out 11 batters while allowing just seven hits and two walks, and Cruse countered with nine strikeouts while giving up 11 hits and two earned runs. The Mountaineers offense finished 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and only had two baserunners reach third base.

“We’ve had a fire lately on offense, and we still did. We put a lot of runners on, but they just couldn’t move them around. I don’t know where we fell short,” Qualls said.

Rainier’s seniors shared hugs and tears with their teammates after the game. The Mountaineers’ season ended in districts for the second straight season.

“We’ve worked hard this season, and it’s OK to be upset about it. We’re very thankful for our seniors,” Qualls said. “I wanted them to know that it’s OK to be upset, but to remember the memories. 

Rainier finishes with a 12-9 record and a 7-3 mark in Central 2B League play. Earsley, Hansen, and Rooh Osborne graduate, while the rest of the team looks to build on its growth from 2024.

“I was proudest of the growth as a team in general, from the bench to the starters. The way they came together and just decided that they were gonna be more aggressive as a whole, from communicating, cheering each other on, batting, making those plays,” she said. “They’ve just built a really special friendship, and I think that’s kind of hard to do. I’m really proud of them for that.”

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