By The Chronicle
Published:
Thursday, May 21, 2009 4:21 AM PDT
Pe Ell topped Central 2B League foe White Pass in eight innings to advance to the second round of the District IV 2B Softball Tournament Wednesday afternoon, where it then sank Toutle Lake in a 12-0 blowout at Fort Borst Park in Centralia to set up a date with Adna in the tournament finals.
Napavine, after falling to Adna in the first round, took a 12-1 win over Northwest Christian in the first consolation round to set up a winner-to-state, loser-out contest with Toutle Lake, also on Saturday.
Pe Ell 5, White Pass 3
Pe Ell took one step towards the state tournament and sent White Pass to the consolation round with a 5-3, eight-inning nail-biter of a win in the first round of the District IV 2B Softball Tournament Wednesday at Fort Borst Park.
“We knew it was going to be tough coming in,” Trojan coach John Woods said. “We’d played ‘em twice this year, and they were real close games.”
White Pass got two unearned runs on a pair of Pe Ell errors in the second inning for an early lead.
“They’re a solid team, and you just can’t afford to make errors,” Woods said.
Pe Ell plated a pair of runs in the sixth inning to tie things up and ensure extra innings.
White Pass notched a run to go ahead in the top of the eighth but Pe Ell answered in the bottom half of the inning before Kendra Henry knocked a two-run, walk-off double to wrap things up.
“I can’t say enough about her,” Woods said of Henry. “She had some clutch hitting and made some outstanding catches in center (field).”
Angelina Phelps and Amanda Woods split time on the mound and both went 2 for 4 at the plate for Pe Ell.
Christin Nilius led the Panthers offensively, going 3 for 3 with a walk.
White Pass went on to beat Ocosta, the No. 1 seed from the Pacific 2B League, 14-5 in the second round to set up a winner-to-state, loser-out contest with Mossyrock in the consolation semifinals on Saturday. Details from the White Pass-Ocosta game were not reported.
Pe Ell 12, Toutle Lake 0
The Trojan bats found their groove in the second round, plating five runs in the first inning, and Amanda Woods threw a no-hitter with nine strikeouts in a 12-0 romp over Toutle Lake.
Cassie Johnson went 2 for 3 with a home run over the center field fence, Henry went 3 for 4 with a pair of RBIs and Stephenie Purcell was 2 for 3 with a double.
Whitney Kaech just missed a home run, settling for a triple off the fence, as Pe Ell’s seniors sewed up the third trip to the State 2B Softball Tournament of their high school careers.
“They were really excited,” Woods said. “It seems like we’re back in the groove now, and we’re looking forward to state.”
Pe Ell will play Adna in the District IV championship game on Saturday.
Napavine 12, NWC 1
Napavine took out its frustrations from an opening-round loss on Northwest Christian in the second round.
Grace Hylton allowed just one run in the five-inning contest and, with two outs in the second inning, the Tigers exploded for five runs and never looked back.
“We looked great,” Napavine coach Stacey Sturza said. “We came out and hit the ball and had no fielding errors, and Grace pitched an excellent game.”
Laina Potter led the Tigers at the plate with a double and a triple. Napavine takes on Toutle Lake, with whom the Tigers split games during the regular season, Saturday at 1 p.m. in a winner-to-state, loser-out contest.
