LACEY – It was a wet and weary, but happy, Mountain View softball squad that collected its trophy Saturday afternoon.
But while it was a touch bittersweet after the Thunder’s brutal 3-1 loss to Yelm in the semifinals of the 3A softball tournament at the Regional Athletic Complex, head coach Ashleigh Byrne said everyone is still happy to come away with fourth place after the 11-4 loss to Snohomish.
It’s the first trophy Mountain View (24-4) has earned since 2007, when they lost to Shadle Park 2-0 in the championship game.
“It’s huge,” Byrne said. “We went from nothing last year – we didn’t even make it (to state) – to placing fourth this year, it’s huge. Mountain View hasn’t had much success in softball, so to make fourth place – any place – is huge.”
Junior pitcher Sydney Brown, who went the distance in all three games Saturday, said they’re thrilled with fourth.
“Coming from last year, this is insane,” she said. “We won league and districts this year, and then coming back and taking fourth, it’s a very good season.”
In Mountain View’s first game against Yelm, it looked like they would make its first title bout since 2007.
Brown was dealing – she had only given up a walk and a hit and had struck out ten – and junior third baseman Nae Nae Urquhart scored the only run for the Thunder with a solo shot high over the left field fence.
Despite Mountain View not being able to get a run in after loading the bases in the third, Brown got the first two outs in the seventh and had junior Savannah Hyder down to her last strike.
But Hyder worked her way back to earn a walk. Both Byrne and Brown felt they didn’t get some borderline calls during Hyder’s at bat.
Freshman Elena Castanon singled, then junior Cydney Jarvis singled to right. The ball took a horrible hop over the glove of right fielder Mary Fogg, rolling toward the fence and allowing all runners to score.
“We definitely thought we had strike three on her (Hyder) a couple times,” Byrne said. “But we didn’t get it and then they hit… that ball hit the high lip on the infield and just went by her. She wasn’t ready for it.”
Against Stadium in the consolation semifinal, it took a few innings for both teams to get into it.
Junior second baseman Maelyn Ocampo finally got Mountain View on the board in the fifth when she crushed a pitch to the center field fence for an RBI double. Mary Fogg brought her home with an RBI single.
The Tigers got its first two batters on in the seventh with a walk and a single to cause some consternation among the Thunder fans, but Brown took care of business with two strikeouts and getting a batter to pop up to Ocampo.
“She was huge,” Byrne said of Brown, who was the lone pitcher for the Thunder. “She fought so hard. I’m super proud of her – I don’t know how she did it, to be honest.”
Brown admitted she was very tired after throwing all day.
“It’s very dead,” she said of her arm. “My whole body is dead. I think that’s the most I’ve ever pitched in a day.”
Though they lose four seniors, including three starters, from this year’s squad, Byrne is confident in another trip to the big tournament.
“We’ll definitely be back next year,” she said.
Prairie (18-10) saw its season end in the early game as Snohomish defeated them 9-6.
