RICHLAND — The Skyview softball team is still playing for a state trophy, and the Storm are still playing for each other.
But the Storm won’t be chasing the championship trophy they coveted after a gut-wrenching loss Friday in the state quarterfinals.
Emerald Ridge of Puyallup scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to beat Skyview 6-5, handing the Storm their first defeat of the season in a game Skyview looked like they had in hand.
The Storm would regroup to beat Battle Ground 9-1 in a loser-out game Friday.
Skyview faces two more loser-out games before they can play for third place on Saturday, starting with a game against Eastmont of Wenatchee at 11 a.m.
But a spot in Saturday’s semifinals looked within reach even after Skyview fell behind early to Emerald Ridge when the Jaguars’ Lillian Stariha belted a two-run homer off Skyview pitcher Maddie Milhorn in the first inning.
As Millhorn regrouped in the pitching circle, the Storm rallied to take a 4-2 lead with a four-run third inning.
RBI singles by Layla Royle and Addy Harmier tied the game at 2-2. Then Lainey Phillips’ two-run double put Skyview ahead 4-2.
Phillips added an RBI single in the fifth to give Skyview a little more breathing room.
But it would prove to be not enough.
Emerald Ridge had a runner on first when Milhorn got Skyview within one out of a win with a strikeout.
But back-to-back singles by Stariha and Alanna Wirtala got the Jaguars within 5-3.
Later after a wild pitch put runners on second and third, another wild pitch allowed Stariha to score from third. Then an ill-advised attempt to throw out Stariha resulted in an error that allowed the tying run to score.
Then before Skyview could even regroup from losing the lead, Taylor Orgeles blasted a home run to left-center for the win.
SKYVIEW 4, PUYALLUP 1 — Milhorn was dominant in Skyview’s first-round game Friday, holding the Vikings to two hits and no walks while striking out 17. Emma Kauffman went 2 for 3 with an RBI for the Storm.
KAMIAK 9, BATTLE GROUND 0 — The Tigers could get little started against Kamiak sophomore pitcher Synclair Mawudeku, who held the Tigers to just two hits in a first-round shutout.
BATTLE GROUND 7, RICHLAND 1 — Candice Torgerson went 3 for 4 with two RBI and Hailey Ferguson, Seyah Lindesmith and Zoey Hughes added two hits each as the Tigers survived a loser-out game Friday afternoon. Those top four batters in the lineup went a combined 9 for 16 with six RBI.
SKYVIEW 9, BATTLE GROUND 1 — When Battle Ground put the potential tying run on base in the bottom of the season, Milhorn returned to the pitching circle to shut out the Tigers the rest of the way.
Addy Case went 2 for 3 with a triple, home run and three RBI for Skyview. Maya Figueroa, Taylor Lies and Layla Royle added two hits each for the Storm.
Ferguson, Hughes and Lainey McMullen had two hits each for Battle Ground.
