CENTRALIA — The championship game of the Class 2A District 4 softball tournament did not take long Friday night at Borst Park.
As soon as it was over, the Woodland Beavers tried to forget about it.
After all, once W.F. West scored in the bottom of the fifth inning to make it 10-0, the game was over but the season was not.
Jessica McKay hit a home run to lead off the game and went 3 for 3, and four Bearcats drove in two runs each to lead W.F. West to the district championship.
Woodland, though, had already qualified for the Class 2A state tournament in Selah next week. The Beavers are already thinking about their next challenge.
“We have a long road ahead of us at state,” said senior Reanna Fitzgerald. “Hold our heads up high. Go practice hard, and do our thing at state.”
“We just gotta keep working hard,” said Jessica Flanagan, who had two of Woodland’s three hits Friday. “It will come to us.”
Perhaps the Beavers will get another shot at W.F. West in Selah. Of course, the Beavers would hope to slow down the Bearcats if that happens. It was all W.F. West on Friday.
The Bearcats scored two runs on four hits in the first inning, another run on two hits in the second, four runs on four hits in the third, two runs on three hits in the fourth, and then ended the game with three consecutive hits in the fifth inning. Up and down the lineup.
The Beavers believe they have it in them to put up similar numbers. Woodland won 16 of its first 18 games this season, and a second-place finish at district is not going to ruin them, Flanagan and Fitzgerald said.
“Once we get our bats going again, we’ll be tough,” Fitzgerald said.
“We just need to hit the ball like we can,” Flanagan added. “I don’t think we’ve shown what we are capable of yet.”
The post-game team meeting was brief. A few minutes later, the players had some sweets.
“Sometimes you have to admit you were beaten,” Fitzgerald said.
“And we got cookies,” Flanagan said with a smile.
True that. The Beavers are alive and well, among the final 16 Class 2A teams in Washington.
“Still going to state,” Fitzgerald said.
W.F. WEST 10, WOODLAND 0
Woodland 000 00—0 3 1
W.F. West 214 21—10 16 0
Woodland
Pitcher — Haylee Michaud 4+ IP, loss. Highlights — Jessica Flanagan 2-2, SB; Addy Perkins 1-2.
W.F. West
Pitcher — Ali Graham 5 IP, win, 8 Ks. Highlights — Jessica McKay 3-3, HR, 2 RBI; Olivia Dean 3-3, 2 RBI; Caitlyn Reynolds 1-1; Roni Braun 2-3, 2 2Bs, 2 RBI; Kassidy Grandorff 2-3, 2B, RBI; Graham 2-3; Lexie Strasser 2-3, 2 RBI; Ashlee Vadala 1-4, RBI.
