SPOKANE — One Clark County team was thrilled just to make it to Spokane for the Class 4A state softball tournament.
Another had its sights set on winning a championship.
Both ended up losing in the first round Friday at the Merkel Sports Complex, but they had very different reactions.
Battle Ground made a little school history with a victory in the consolation bracket — the program’s first win at state — before losing later in the day to end its season.
“At this point, everything’s a bonus,” Battle Ground senior Mickenzie Sachen said after the team’s first-round 2-1 loss to Moses Lake. “We’re already here.”
Then the Tigers topped Newport 7-4 for that noteworthy victory.
Camas was looking to top last year’s run in this tournament. The Papermakers lost in the 2013 championship game by a run and were hoping this would be their season.
Instead, Woodinville got Camas 6-3 in the opening round. Later, Camas fell to Richland 8-1 in the consolation bracket.
Camas senior pitcher Harli Hubbard, who has signed with North Carolina State, said it was an interesting four years with Camas softball, with a lot of drama, good and bad.
“What matters, the memories we’re going take out of it, the last four years of positive,” Hubbard said. “The hero plays. The highest points, not the lowest.”
Camas players were never shy about their ultimate goal this year, talking about a state championship back in preseason practice.
But an uncharacteristic inning of miscues doomed the Papermakers against Woodinville. The Falcons erased a 3-0 deficit with a four-run second inning on two hits, an error, a wild pitch, three passed balls, and a judgment error. Woodinville got two more in the third on a hit and two Camas errors.
Camas coach Ken Nidick said it was a terrible time to go into a hitting and fielding slump — the state tournament.
Hubbard said it was too difficult for the team to respond after that loss.
“It wrecked us,” she said. “That’s the tough thing about state. Once you lose your dream, it’s tough to come back.”
The Tigers, meanwhile, still had something to play for in their first consolation bracket. They scored three runs in the first and three in the third to take control against Newport.
Kendra Locke, Krystina Fischer, and Mickenzie Sachen each had two hits for the Tigers. Parker Boyd got the pitching victory.
“It’s one of the best experiences of my life,” senior Madison Barr said. “We were the true definition of family. We played together. We won together. We lost together. We stood by each other. The last four years, we had so many chances, and we finally did it.”
The players credited coach Arielle Wiser, in her first year, with getting the Tigers over the obstacle and into the state tournament for the first time.
Battle Ground would end up losing to Snohomish 7-4 in its third game of the day, but the Tigers accom
plished what they set out to do this season.
The team had a post-game meeting in left field, then said hello to their parents off the field. The Tigers did not want to leave, though, and the seniors returned to the field to take more photos.
“These are happy tears,” Wiser said. “Just sad to see the seniors go. Such a great group, chemistry-wise.”
