LACEY — The clouds came out occasionally at Friday’s 3A state softball tournament.
But the 3A teams from Wesco shined all afternoon.
The league earned four district berths to state and the group — Glacier Peak, Marysville Pilchuck, Meadowdale and Everett — is making the most of it.
Three of the four teams advanced to Saturday’s state semifinals where two, Marysville Pilchuck and Meadowdale, will play each other — guaranteeing at least one Wesco team will be in the 3A state title game Saturday afternoon. Everett, which faces Enumclaw in the other state semifinal, could make it an all-Wesco championship.
Glacier Peak rebounded from an opening loss to ensure all four Wesco teams are among the final eight at the 3A state tournament at the Regional Athletic Complex in Lacey.
“It says (Wesco’s) really powerful. It says it’s really good,” Meadowdale coach Dennis Hopkins said. “We’ve got to face one of our (league) opponents (Saturday).”
“We play good ball up there so it doesn’t surprise me,” Everett coach Mike Millar added. “I think the strength of our conference — and us getting to play each other a couple times a year — definitely prepares us for when we come down here.”
It had the teams prepared for Friday. Marysville Pilchuck, the No. 4 seed out of the conference, promptly knocked off Shadle Park, the No. 1 seed from District 7/8, 9-4 to open up the state tournament for the Tomahawks.
Marysville Pilchuck (20-6 overall) continued to roll in the quarterfinals. The Tomahawks jumped ahead early against Columbia River before defeating the Chieftains 8-3 and clinching a spot in the 3A state semifinals.
“The girls, they’re clicking right now,” Marysville Pilchuck head coach Aaron Zachry said. “Things are going their way, they’re getting some breaks to get to state and to finish things have to go your way.”
Mckenzie Justice pitched both games for the Tomahawks and added 5 RBI — three coming on a home run — in the first game of the day.
Marysville Pilchuck belted four home runs over both games, with freshman Lily Fischer getting her first career homer against Columbia River.
“When we wake up tomorrow there will be eight teams left. We’re halfway through it,” Zachry said. “That’s pretty neat. The girls are pretty excited.”
“It’s one of those things that you don’t think about it until you’re there. So, I don’t know what to think about it yet,” said sophomore Chloe Morgan, who made a run-saving diving catch in center field against Columbia River. “I’m pretty excited. I’m stoked. I think this is our year. I think this is our time.”
The Tomahawks won’t be at full strength as the state tournament moves on. Marysville Pilchuck lost starting first baseman, and No. 5 hitter, Hannah Larson in the district tournament with a knee injury and lost second baseman Sydney Zachry to a leg injury in the game against Columbia River.
Aaron Zachry has ruled both out for the remainder of the tournament.
“We’re going to have to fill in as best we can,” Aaron Zachry said. “We’re still playing. We just keep meeting our goals and keep going forward. We’re happy we get to play a couple games (Saturday).”
When Marysville Pilchuck wakes up for its 9 a.m. semifinal it will be squaring off against a familiar foe. For the third time in the Tomahawks’ last eight games they will be going against Meadowdale (22-3), which sweated out a 4-0 victory over Bainbridge to open the state tournament and a 3-2 win over Lake Washington in the semifinals.
The Mavericks are in the state tournament for the fifth consecutive season. Meadowdale has a pair of third-place trophies and is back in the semifinals for the second time in four years.
“We’re excited to be back. Excited to be back on Saturday with no losses and a chance to still take it all,” Hopkins said. “That’s a biggie. We set out for seven (victories) when we went to districts. We took care of the three (at districts), now we’ve got two down of the four. Two to go.”
“It just feels amazing to be able to do this with my team — to be able to experience this,” said junior Lauren Dent. “… We’re super excited and just ready for the opportunity.”
Dent pitched all 14 innings for the Mavericks on Friday. She also pitched every inning in Meadowdale’s two games against Marysville Pilchuck previously this season. The Tomahawks won the first, 7-6 in nine innings on May 11th, before Meadowdale got revenge with a 12-0 victory against Marysville Pilchuck in a 3A District 1 semifinal.
The grudge match on Saturday will decide who goes to the state title game.
“We’re staying in the same hotel, too. So I’ll see Dennis tonight and we’ll be able to discuss it,” Zachry said with a laugh. “It’s hopefully a better game than the last time we played. They kind of put it on us. This is the grudge match. We’ll come out and I guarantee you, if both our bats are on, it will be a good game.”
Dent has a strategy for facing the Tomahawks for a third time.
“I’m going to take it as a new team,” Dent said, “and just bring my all and see what we can do.”
The other 9 a.m. 3A state semifinal will feature Everett and Enumclaw. The Seagulls defeated Auburn Mountainview, a team they beat in a non-conference game in early March, in their opener behind home runs by Gabby Koehler, Rachel Christensen, Megan Gordon and Whitney Harris. Harris added another homer later in the afternoon as Everett (20-5) took down Kelso 10-2 in the quarterfinals.
“Back in districts, in our first two games on that Tuesday, we were hitting them out. We picked that up today,” Millar said. “Hopefully we can keep that up tomorrow. … You never know where it’s going to come from in our lineup. It could come from anywhere.”
Everett, which finished second at last year’s 3A state tournament, is back in the semifinals for the second consecutive season.
“Stoked. We are so excited,” Koehler said. “We’re ready. I don’t think we’ve ever been so ready and ever been so together as a family. … We’ve really learned from all the games we’ve played.”
“I’m on cloud nine,” Harris said. “This is so exciting. I’m so happy to be here. … It wasn’t easy. It took a lot of heart and drive and teamwork.”
Glacier Peak, the lone Wesco team to lose its first game, also showed it belonged with the top teams. The Grizzlies rebounded from a 3-1 loss to Mt. Spokane with two consecutive wins in loser-out games — a 7-2 victory over West Seattle and a 6-3 win against Columbia River — to clinch a spot in another loser-out game against Lake Washington at 9 a.m. Saturday.
Two more victories would get the Grizzlies to the third/fourth-place game.
“It’s great to see us battle,” said Glacier Peak head coach Caitlin Nies. “In the first game, I thought we played really well. We just had a couple hard hits that were snagged and Mt. Spokane had a great pitcher. But we made them earn everything.
“I’m just so proud of our girls’ effort and wanting to keep playing and compete. We’re going after third place.”
Abby Winckler hit home run in each of the Grizzlies’ victories, going 3-for-4 in the win over Columbia River. Winckler also hit a ball to deep right field against Mt. Spokane that was caught by a Wildcat outfielder who reached over the mesh fence to make the out.
Nies, Glacier Peak and the other three Wesco teams who will make their way back to the Regional Athletic Complex all have high aspirations as the 3A state tournament wraps up Saturday.
“I think it just shows what a tough, competitive league we have,” Nies said. “We felt like we were battle-tested coming in here knowing that we play these tough teams in here every single day. I hope we can go 1-2-3-4.”
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