The Twin Harbors features some of the best softball pitchers in the state, and it showed as we review Wednesday’s prep softball games.
PREP SOFTBALL
Montesano 7, Elma 0
Montesano senior pitcher Riley Timmons had arguably the best game of her prep career when the Bulldogs needed it most.
With a chance for Monte (12-3 overall, 7-0 1A Evergreen) to put a stranglehold on the 1A Evergreen League, Timmons brought her A-game, tossing a two-hitter to lead the Bulldogs to a 7-0 win over Elma on Wednesday at Montesano High School.
Needing a win over second-place Elma (9-5, 3-2) to go up three games over the Eagles in the league standings, Montesano did what it does best: Put pressure on the defense and take advantage of every opportunity available.
That philosophy was most evident in the bottom of the second as Monte maximized its output.
With two on and one out, Monte base runner Lex Stanfield and Ember Jones advanced on a wild pitch. Bulldogs second baseman Alyssa Maldonado broke the scoreless tie by stroking Elma pitcher Ashlynn Weld’s 2-0 pitch to the gap to score Stanfield and Jones.
RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Montesano’s Alyssa Maldonado points to her teammates after smacking a two-run double in the bottom of the second inning in a 7-0 win over Elma Wednesday night at Montesano High School.
After a walk to center fielder Adda Potts, two straight Eagles errors allowed two more runs to cross, putting Monte up 4-0.
Run-scoring singles by shortstop and league MVP candidate Addi Kersker and first baseman Kylee Widsom staked the Bulldogs to a 6-0 lead, and took a bit of wind out from the Eagles’ wings.
Timmons and Weld shut down opposing offenses the rest of the way, with Monte scoring a lone run in the fifth when senior Carsyn Wintrip singled and later advanced to third on a wild pitch. Timmons chased Wintrip home with a sacrifice fly for a 6-0 lead.
But one Monte run would have been good enough for Timmons on Wednesday evening.
After allowing a double to Elma shortstop Emmie Spencer in the top of the second inning, Timmons retired eight straight Eagles until Spencer singled with two outs in the top of the fourth.
PHOTO BY FOREST WORGUM Elma shortstop Emmie Spencer, left, tags out Montesano’s Jaelyn Butterfield during a game on Wednesday at Montesano High School.
No problem for Timmons, who then retired 10 consecutive Eagles to end the game.
“That’s the Riley Timmons we’ve been waiting to see all season right there,” Monte head coach Pat Pace said of the University of Providence commit. “That’s what you want your seniors to do: Step up in the big games and this was a big game. Elma is a good team. She was dialed in.”
Timmons was in control of the strike zone the entire evening, throwing 71 strikes out of 101 pitches (70.2%) and recorded a first-pitch strike to 18 of the 24 batters she faced.
“I know Elma and they play hard no matter who they are playing. I knew they were going to come in with the same confidence we had for this game. I wanted to do it for my team,” said Timmons, who told her head coach she wanted to ball ahead of the matchup. “I was just working the corners with my fastball and I threw my change-up in there a few times because I was using my speed to my advantage.”
The All-State First Team pitcher finished with a sparkling stat line of two hits and 14 strikeouts with no runs or walks in tossing a seven-inning shutout against the state’s 11th-ranked RPI team.
“It means a lot, especially it being my senior year,” said Timmons, who has been limited recently due to back stiffness but was feeling 100% after Wednesday’s performance. “I want to do my best and do what I can for this team before I’m gone.”
Kersker and Maldonado led Monte’s offense with two hits apiece.
RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Elma center fielder Mia Monroe makes an over-the-shoulder catch during a 7-0 loss to Montesano on Wednesday in Montesano.
With the win, second-ranked Montesano is three games up on Elma in the league standings.
Monte has one game left on its league schedule, a meeting with Hoquiam at 4 p.m. on Thursday in Hoquiam.
Elma has three league games left starting with a doubleheader against Eatonville at 3 p.m. on Thursday.
A Monte loss to Hoquiam would open the door for the Eagles to earn a share of the league title if they sweep their final three league games.
A Monte win or Elma loss in any of its three final league games, and the Bulldogs are once again the outright league champions.
Elma 000 000 0 – 0 2 4
Montesano 060 010 x – 7 8 0
WP: Timmons (7 IP, 0R, 2H, BB, 14K). LP: Ash. Weld (6 IP, 7R, 3ER, 8H, 2BB, 2K).
Leading hitters: Elma – Spencer (2-3, 2B). Montesano – Kersker (2-3, 3B, R, RBI); Maldonado (2-3, 2B, R, 2RBI); Parkin (1-4, RBI); Wisdom (1-3, RBI); Wintrip (1-3, R); Stanfield (1-3, R).
Aberdeen 18, Shelton 0
Aberdeen battered around last-place Shelton for an 18-0 five-inning victory on Wednesday in Aberdeen.
The Bobcats (13-4, 7-3 2A Evergreen) hammered Highclimbers pitching for 18 runs on 14 hits, including a three-run home run by junior standout Lilly Camp in the bottom of the first inning.
Up 7-0 in the bottom of the fourth, the Cats scored 11 runs on eight hits, three errors, two walks and a hit batter.
Aberdeen senior pitcher Annika Hollingsworth retired the side in the top of the fifth to pick up the win, allowing two hits while striking out 12 in the five-inning victory.
Laynie Yakovich was a perfect 3-for-3 with a double, three runs scored and three runs driven in to lead Aberdeen.
Camp went 2-for-3 with a home run, two runs scored and four RBI while catcher Alyssa Yakovich had a pair of hits and drove in three for the Cats.
Fifth-ranked Aberdeen sits firmly in third place in the 2A Evergreen Conference and will face Centralia at 4 p.m. on Friday in Centralia.
Shelton 000 00 – 0 2 4
Aberdeen 403 (11)x – 18 14 0
WP: Hollingsworth (5 IP, 0R, 2H, 12K). LP: Rix (3 IP, 11R, 9ER, 8H, 2BB, 3K).
Leading hitters: Shelton – Tyler (1-2); Glenn (1-2). Aberdeen – L. Yakovich (3-3, 2B, 3R, 3RBI); Camp (2-3, HR, 2R, 4RBI); A. Yakovich (2-3, R, 3RBI); Vessey (2-3, 2R). Neal (1-2, 2RBI); Gladdis (1-1, R, RBI); Hollingsworth (1-4, R, 2RBI); Lecomte (1-1, 2R); Braaten (1-1, R, RBI).
Ocosta 3, Raymond-South Bend 0
Ocosta junior pitcher Jessie Gilbert hit some major career milestones in a 3-0 win over Raymond-South Bend in a 2B Pacific League game on Wednesday in South Bend.
In the first game of a double header, Gilbert was once again outstanding. The flamethrowing right-hander held the state’s 11th-ranked team scoreless on one hit and a walk while striking out 17.
Gilbert passed the 100 strikeout mark for the second-consecutive season and has amassed over 600 in her three-year prep career.
The Wildcats (12-5, 3-2 2B Pacific) scored all three of its runs in the top of the second inning when Brynn Rasmus – who led off with a double – came in to score on a Gabby Ness fielder’s choice ground out. Later in the inning, Gilbert drove in Ness and Samantha Schlegel with a double for a 3-0 lead.
Raymond-South Bend third baseman Kassie Koski bunted for a single with one out in the fourth inning for the Ravens’ only hit in the game.
Ashlee Payne allowed three earned runs on 16 hits with five strikeouts in seven innings pitched to take the loss for the Ravens (8-4, 3-2).
Ocosta 030 000 0 – 3 16 2
RSB 000 000 0 – 0 1 2
WP: Gilbert (7 IP, 0R, H, BB, 17K). LP: Payne (7 IP, 3R, 3ER, 16H, 5K).
Leading hitters: Ocosta – Gilbert (3-4, 2 2B, 2RBI); Rosander (3-4, 2B); Rasmus (2-4, 2B, R); Cuzdey (2-4); Olive (2-4); Ness (1-4, R, RBI); S. Schlegel (1-4, R); Morales (1-3); J. Schlegel (1-4). RSB – Kas. Koski (1-2).
Raymond-South Bend 17, Ocosta 10
Raymond-South Bend outslugged Ocosta 17-10 to earn non-league victory in the nightcap.
The two teams combined for 27 runs on 32 hits, which included 15 extra-base hits, five of those being home runs.
For the Ravens, Berklee Morley, Ava Pine and Kassie Koski each hit home runs – with Koski’s of the inside-the-park variety – while Joanah Rosander and Samantha Schlegel hit bombs for the Wildcats.
The Koski sisters – Kyndal (3-6, 2B, 3R) and Kassie (3-4, HR, 2B, 3R, 2RBI) – had three hits apiece for the Ravens as did Macey Enlow (3-5, 2B, 2R) and Emma Glazier, who had three doubles, four runs scored and a pair of RBI.
Ocosta was led by Zaida Morales, who went 4-for-4 with two runs, and Noel Cuzdey (3-5, 3RBI).
Ocosta takes on Ilwaco in a double header set for 3 p.m. Thursday in Ilwaco.
Raymond-South Bend faces first-place Forks in a twin bill scheduled for 3 p.m. on Friday.
RSB 301 913 0 – 17 18 2
Ocosta 001 440 1 – 10 14 7
WP: Stigall (4 IP, 8R, 6ER, 8H, 2BB, 3K). LP: Rosander (7 IP, 17R, 9ER, 18H, 2BB, K).
Leading hitters: RSB – Kas. Koski (3-4, HR, 2B, 3R, 2RBI); Kyn. Koski (3-6, 2B, 3R); Glazier (3-5, 3 2B, 4R, 2RBI); Enlow (3-5, 2B, 2R); Pine (2-5, HR, 2R, 3RBI); Morley 92-6, HR, R, 3RBI); Harriman (2-5, 2B); Av. Payne (1-4, R, 2RBI). Ocosta – Morales (4-4, 2R); Cuzdey (3-5, 3RBI); J. Schlegel (2-4, HR, 2B, 2R); Gilbert (2-3, 2B, R); Rasmus (1-3, 2R, 2RBI); S. Schlegel (1-5, HR, R, RBI); Rosander (1-3, R, 2RBI); Weimar (1-2, R); Ness (1-4, 2RBI); Olive (1-2).
