Prairie softball hits stride to reach state

SPANAWAY — A fresh start.

That’s what the Prairie Falcons needed, to wash away the negative feeling from softball’s regular season.

The Prairie Falcons believe they underachieved in the regular season, going 10-10 and finishing third in the Class 3A Greater St. Helens League.

None of those losses matter today.

The Prairie Falcons are going back to the Class 3A state tournament.

Prairie rallied with two runs in the seventh inning for a 4-3 win in the opening round of the 3A bi-district tournament at Sprinker Recreation Center Friday morning, then rolled to a 9-2 victory in the quarterfinals in the afternoon.

The two victories send the Falcons to Saturday’s semifinals of this tournament, and to Lacey for the state tournament next week.

“Being able to come out here and play Prairie ball, this is what we’ve been missing the entire year,” senior Bridget Guiney said.

Guiney said the team did not practice much softball on Thursday, instead opting for team-bonding games. Plus the seniors gave the younger players a pep talk. The Falcons had made it to state in each of the past three seasons, after all.

Make it another year with a win over in the morning over Kennedy Catholic and the decisive victory over Peninsula in the quarterfinals.

“It would have killed me not to go to state my last year,” Guiney said. “We had the talent. We just had to put it together.”

Sophomore Kylee Snider hit a two-run home run in the quarterfinals.

“I knew she was going to throw me outside. ‘Alright Kylee, adjust.’ That happened,” Snider said. “I was hoping for a line drive, but a home run works, too.”

Her shot gave Prairie a 6-2 lead, but Snider said the team did not really need those runs.

“We knew we had it from the beginning,” she said. “We were going to win this game. We were going to go to state. ‘Keep pushing, keep pushing.’ Just to have those (other) runs was icing on the cake.”

The Falcons were feeling good because they were coming off a seventh-inning rally in the first game. Kennedy Catholic scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a 3-2 lead.

Tristan St. Peter and Clarissa Martinez each had run-scoring singles in the seventh to send Prairie to the quarterfinals.

Prairie coach Ari Van Horn said the postseason was a huge motivator.

“They were kind of going through the motions,” she said of the regular season. “When we got here, our whole demeanor changed. I had a big talk with the seniors. I told them, ‘You are going to have to set the tone. The girls will follow.’ I really feel they did that. We got great leadership from the seniors.

“It was fun to watch them come together and play Prairie ball again.”

PRAIRIE 9, PENINSULA 2

Prairie 004 040 1–9 14 1

Peninsula 002 000 0–2 4 1

Pitcher — Josey Lesmeister 7 IP, win, 6 Ks.

Highlights — Clarissa Martinez 2-4; Irene McGuire 2-4, 2B; Kylee Snider 3-4, HR, 2B, 3 RBI; Bridget Guiney 3-4, 3 2Bs, RBI; Taylor Ramey 1-4; Kate Lawhead 2-4, RBI; Chloe Blehm 1-4.

PRAIRIE 4, KENNEDY 3

Prairie 200 000 2–4 8 2

Kennedy 000 003 0–3 4 3

Pitchers — Josey Lesmeister 5+ IP; Tristan St. Peter 2 IP, win.

Highlights — Tristan St. Peter 3-4, RBI; Clarissa Martinez 1-4, RBI; Irene McGuire 2-4; Kate Lawhead 1-3; Chloe Blehm 1-3.