CENTRALIA — As each game came to a close at Fort Borst Park on Thursday, one lasted longer than the rest.
That was the 10-inning slugfest between Woodland and W.F. West. Just a year ago, Woodland was a blimp on the Bearcats’ road to a 2A state title.
Oh, what difference a year can make.
With a state berth on the line, Woodland fell to W.F. West 10-5 in the second round of the 2A district tournament, but not before 10 thrilling innings, nine of which saw big plays shifting the lead — and momentum — back and forth like a seesaw.
“We’re going to be fine, they’re a great team,” Woodland pitcher Olivia Grey said. “It’s good because we can bounce back from this very easily. We didn’t give up … I’m 100 percent sure we’ll be even better tomorrow.”
The winner would go on to face Ridgefield in the district title. The Spudders endured a first-round scare and coasted past Columbia River to a second-consecutive state berth.
Grey gave up 14 hits but struck out 16 in what was a bona fide pitching duel between her and W.F. West’s Ashlee Vardala.
It was Woodland’s hitting that kept it in the game.
Kelly Sweyer’s three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth was the answer the Beavers needed after W.F. West’s Paetynn Lopez drilled a three-run homer off Grey to go up 3-0 in the first. Then on the next at-bat, Kaily Christensen blasted a solo shot of the left-center fence, giving Woodland its first lead of the game.
The teams went into the 10th inning tied 5-5 when the Bearcats unloaded five runs, sending Woodland to the consolation side of the bracket, where it will play Tumwater tomorrow at 4 p.m. Win that game, and the Beavers will play in the third place game for the final District IV state berth.
The Spudders were the only undefeated team of the four 2A Greater St. Helens teams present for the first day of districts. Woodland’s tough contest with the defending 2A state champion Bearcats ended in a five-run W.F. West win, Columbia River lost to Ridgefield in the second round and Hockinson saw its season end as it went winless on the day.
Ridgefield may have had the easiest day, only allowing three runs in two games opposite 11 runs scored. But the team was tense during its 1-0 win over Aberdeen in the first round, in which the Spudders couldn’t capitalize off its eight total hits.
“Basically we just huddled up and were like, hey, state’s on the line, this is our goal,” Ridgefield catcher Emma Jenkins said, as the crowd roared at the district semifinal game behind her. “We’ve got to come through with our energy and our bats and push through this next game.”
Spudders pitcher Kaia Oliver struck out a combined 30 batters and gave up nine hits in 13 innings pitched.
In total, Grey tossed 301 pitches on the day, according to the Beavers’ stat keeper.
She’ll be pitching tomorrow, too, but not before giving her arm plenty of ice and as much rest as the 24-hour turnaround allows.
As for Columbia River, its first-round game ended in a thrilling sequence.
Up 5-3 and one out in the bottom of the seventh, River first baseman Emma Adams was leveled by the runner as she fielded a bouncing hit down the first base line. The collision left Adams dazed — and the River dugout livid — as Tumwater’s tying run rounded third.
Adams, hearing verbal indications from her teammates, picked herself up and shoveled the live ball to pitcher Andrea Hoey, who tagged the runner before she could reach home, ending the game.
“We know we’re the underdog. We don’t have the big pitcher,” Chieftains coach Carrie Kosderka said. “… If it takes somebody to get knocked out, that’s what’s going to happen.”
Columbia River will carry the underdog mentality into Friday’s consolation game against Rochester.
After squeaking into districts as the fourth seed, Hockinson (11-10, 6-6) refused to go down without a fight. After a lopsided loss to W.F. West in the opening round, the Hawks found themselves down 5-0 to Rochester in the second round. They wound up closing the gap, but lost 9-8.
