Mackenzie Moore had a huge day at the plate, including a grand slam that capped a six-run sixth inning as the Prairie softball team rallied to beat Auburn Riverside 8-6 on Saturday to capture the 3A bi-district championship in Lacey.
Moore went 7 for 9 with three home runs and 10 RBI in two games Saturday, leading the Falcons to a 13-2 win over Central Kitsap in a semifinal earlier Saturday at the Regional Athletic Complex.
That sent the Falcons into the title game, where they found themselves down 6-2 after four innings as the Ravens put four runs on Prairie pitch Rylee Wall in the first inning.
But Serena Hewes got things going in that decisive sixth for Prairie. Her RBI single scored Carlie Palmer to cut the deficit to 6-3.
After the bases were loaded, Kellie Cady got hit by a pitch to force in a run and make it 6-4.
Then Moore blasted a home run to left, her second of the game, to put Prairie up 8-6.
Wall did the rest, finishing three shutout innings to earn the win.
In the win over Central Kitsap, Moore’s two-run double ended the game in the sixth as the Falcons won on the 10-run rule.
The Falcons had a six-run fifth inning against Central Kitsap to blow the game open.
Kellie Cady went 3 for 4 with a double. Wall, Peyton Blunt and Palmer had two hits each, with Palmer adding a home run.
KELSO 3, HERITAGE 2 — Paityn Mackin outdueled Jaila Ellis and Mackin added an RBI as the Kelso earned a trip to the 3A state tournament by beating its 3A Greater St. Helens League rival.
Brianna Wesemann had an RBI single in the sixth inning to put Kelso ahead 3-0.
Ellis delivered a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth to cut the lead to 3-1.
In the bottom of the seventh, S Jones walked with one out. Another out later, Kelso opted to intentionally walk Ellis. K Newberry delivered and RBI single to make 3-2.
Then Mackin got the final out on a fly to center.
HERITAGE 17, YELM 7 — Yelm tried to avoid having Jaila Ellis hurt them by walking her three times. But Kaliann Newberry made them pay for that by driving in four runs as the Timberwolves secured a state berth.
Newberry went 2 for 5 with three runs and a double. Taylor Frost was 2 for 4 with two runs and an RBI.
KELSO 13, RIVER RIDGE 2 — Kyleigh Day hit three home runs and drove in five runs as Kelso routed River Ridge in a loser-out game earlier Saturday.
HERITAGE 12, SILAS 0 — Jaila Ellis went 2 for 2 with two runs, two RBI, a triple and walk as the Timberwolves won a loser-out game. Ellis also pitched four scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out eight.
1A district
MONTESANO 5, SETON CATHOLIC 3 — Ellie Forster hit two home runs and Kingsley Williams went 2 for 3 with an RBI, but Montesano scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth to win the 1A district championship in Centralia.
Forster’s second home run tied the game 3-3 in the fifth inning. But in the bottom of the frame, the Bulldogs took a 5-3 lead on an RBI single and squeeze play.
ELMA 24, LA CENTER 11 — Lauren Baker hit a home run and drove four runs and Peyton Winston also homered as the Wildcats dropped a loser-out game.
Baker hit a three-run home run to give La Center an 8-7 lead after two innings. Elma then put the game out of reach with an 11-run third inning.
