With quarterfinal wins on Wednesday, Montesano and Hoquiam are set to clash for the 1A District 4 championship on Saturday in Centralia.
1A District 4 Semifinals
Hoquiam 24, Elma 3
No, this wasn’t a football game.
But when you can mash the ball the way the Hoquiam Grizzlies can, the final score will sometimes look that way.
Hoquiam pitcher Carron Blood and catcher Faith Prosch belted two home runs apiece as the Grizzlies advanced to the district-championship game and punched their ticket to the state tournament with a 24-3 victory over Elma on Wednesday in Centralia.
RYAN SPARKS / THE DAILY WORLD Hoquiam catcher Faith Prosch drills a pitch during the Grizzlies’ 24-3 victory over Hoquiam in the 1A District 4 semifinals on Wednesday at Fort Borst Park in Centralia. Prosch had two home runs in the game.
Hoquiam (16-3 overall) wasted little time getting to work, as the first five Grizzlies reached base and took a 4-0 lead on a three-run blast from Prosch.
Later in the top of the first, Blood doubled to drive in Chloey Dietrick and Graci Bonney-Spradlin followed later by a single from Ashlinn Cady to score Blood, making it 11-0 after one half-inning.
“We wanted to get on it and get it going, We can’t just wait for something to happen,” Blood said of the Grizzlies offense. “So in the first inning, we just did what we needed to do and we were all hyped up and cheering each other on.”
Hoquiam added a run in the second on an Ella Folkers single and three in the third highlighted by a Prosch two-run blast, her second of the game.
“We knew that we wanted to start off strong and get a big lead. When someone gets a hit, we just rally and keep going. It really helps our team,” said the Grizzlies junior slugger. “That was the first time I hit two home runs in a game. That second one was right down the middle and I was like, ‘Oh, yeah!’ and it hit the sweet spot of the bat.”
Trailing 15-0 and facing a three-inning mercy-rule defeat, Elma (10-9) rallied to extend the game with a run in the bottom of the third.
After Nicole Johanson singled heavy-hitting first baseman Callie Galligan doubled to the gap in left-center, pushing Johanson across to make it a 15-1 ballgame.
After singles by Aaleigha Weld and Maddie Monroe loaded the bases, Blood got the final two outs on an infield fly and a strikeout to end the threat.
Hoquiam decided to put the game away for good in the fourth, scoring nine runs – capped by a Blood three-run blast to left – to go up 24-1.
Elma catcher Brooklyne Swarts led off the bottom half of the inning with a home run followed by a one-out double by Mia Monroe, who scored on a Johanson fielder’s choice grounder.
Blood struck out Weld with one on to end the game.
RYAN SPARKS / THE DAILY WORLD Hoquiam’s Carron Blood throws a pitch during the Grizzlies’ 24-3 victory over Elma in the 1A District 4 semifinals on Wednesday at Fort Borst Park in Centralia.
Hoquiam collected 22 hits in the game, with seven different players recording multi-hit games and at least one RBI.
“Our coaches are always asking us, ‘What do you want to do at practice tomorrow?’ And we all just want to hit,” Bonney-Spradlin said. “Some of us kind of went through a hitting slump and I think our practices are really helping because we’ve done a lot of hitting at practice. It’s really helped us out in the games.”
Blood had an incredible stat line at the plate. The senior ace and all-state candidate went 5-for-5 with two home runs, a double, five runs scored and seven RBI.
Outfielder Ashlinn Cady (4-5, 2 R, RBI), Folkers (3-3, 3 R, 3 RBI) and No. 9 hitter Dietrick (3-4, 2 R, 2 RBI) also had big games at the plate while Prosch drove in six runs with her two home runs.
Mia Monroe went a perfect 3-for-3 with two doubles to lead the Eagles, which will face Seton Catholic in an elimination game at noon on Saturday in Centralia.
Hoquiam advances to the district-championship game for the second year in a row and will look to claim a district title that slipped through its fingers in the final inning against Eatonville last season.
The Grizzlies will face league-rival Montesano at 4 p.m. Saturday at Fort Borst Park and expect another test against the premiere program in the 1A class.
“After losing the district championship last year in the last inning, it means a lot. I just want to go back and take it this time. I want to be district champions,” Bonney-Spradlin said. “Monte is going to be a hard game, it always is, and they are going to want it just as bad as we do. We’re just going to have to go in and take ‘em.”
“It’s going to be a really tough game, probably one of the toughest games we’ve had in a long time,” Blood said. “But we are going to practice hard and we’re going to bring it as best we can.”
“We need to have grit in that game and come out strong like we did during this game,” Prosch said. “We need to know that we can do it. … It’s tough to beat them three times, but we know we can do it and we just need to be focused and confident.”
Hoquiam (11)13 9 – 24 22 1
Elma 001 2 – 3 9 6
WP: Blood (4 IP, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K). LP: Hanson (0 IP, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 H, BB).
Leading hitters: Hoquiam – Blood (5-5, 2 HR, 2B, 5 R, 7 H); Cady (4-5, 2 R, RBI); Folkers (3-3, 3 R, 3 RBI); Dietrick (3-4, 2 R, 2 RBI); Prosch (2-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 6 RBI); Bonney-Spradlin (2-4, 3 R, RBI); Sansaver (2-3, 2 R, RBI). Elma – Mia Monroe (3-3, 2 2B, R); Weld (2-3); Swarts (1-1, HR, R, RBI); Galligan (1-2, 2B, RBI); Johanson (1-3, R, RBI); Maddie Monroe (1-2).
RYAN SPARKS / THE DAILY WORLD Montesano’s Jordan Karr rounds third base during a 12-0 victory over Columbia-White Salmon in the 1A District 4 semifinals on Wednesday in Centralia.
1A District 4 Semifinals
Montesano 12, Columbia-White Salmon 0
There was talk entering the 1A District 4 Tournament that if there was one team out of the Trico League that could win the title it was Columbia-White Salmon, which had not lost a game to a 1A team this season.
That was until it faced Montesano.
The Bulldogs offense blitzed the Bruins for five runs in the first en route to a 12-0 mercy-rule victory in the 1A District 4 semifinals on Wednesday in Centralia.
Monte (18-5) scored five in the first spearheaded by a mammoth three-run home run off the bat of junior pitcher Riley Timmons.
From there, an energized and focused Bulldogs team smelled blood, scoring two in the second on a triple from shortstop Addi Kersker and a pair of runs in the third on an Alexa Stanfield single followed by a Kalia Hatton double.
Looking to secure a spot in the district final and make a return trip to state, the Bulldogs scored three in the bottom of the fourth on a Kylee Wisdom single followed later in the frame by a two-out, two-run single off the bat of Hatton.
In the circle, Timmons was solid. The junior allowed one hit – a single by Josie Dickey with two out in the second – with five walks and four strikeouts in earning the victory.
RYAN SPARKS / THE DAILY WORLD Montesano pitcher Riley Timmons tossed a shutout in a 12-0 victory over Columbia-White Salmon in the 1A District 4 semifinals on Wednesday in Centralia.
“I was just thinking about my team and as much as I wanted it, they wanted it too,” Timmons said. “Today, we wanted to redeem ourselves because things didn’t go our way last year, and I think was really about doing it for our team.”
Last season, the Bulldogs were uncharacteristically bounced out and failed to make the state tournament for the first time in recent memory after going 1-2 in districts.
“Though last year wasn’t what we wanted to happen, it helped us to learn and fix things for this year,” Timmons said.
Monte had just as many hits as runs, led by Kersker, who went a perfect 3-for-3 in the game.
Hatton (2-3, 2 2B, 3 RBI) and catcher Ali Parkin (2-2) also had multi-hit games for the Bulldogs.
“I think everyone was gelling together and when we would see someone on base, we knew we had to work as a team to get them in,” Kersker said. “Everyone just carried on the energy and we knew that is how we are going to win these games. The key is we had to work as a team and keep our energy up.”
Monte will look to win its first district title since 2019 when the Bulldogs face Hoquiam in the district-title game at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
“Very excited (to play for a district title) and I think it’s going to be a good game,” Timmons said.
Monte also makes its return to the state tournament with the victory.
“It means everything. I didn’t get to go (to state) because of COVID. We didn’t get the opportunity. So this means a lot. I know they want it just as much as I do and we are all just working together,” said second baseman Jordan Karr, a senior. “I’m so happy and so proud of everyone on this team.”
CWS 000 00 – 0 1 2
Montesano 522 3x – 12 12 0
WP: Timmons (5 IP, 0 R, H, 5 BB, 4 K). LP: Guinn (0.2 IP, 5 R, 0 ER, 4 H).
Leading hitters: CWS – Dickey (1-1). Montesano – Kersker (3-3, 3B, 2B, 2 RBI); Hatton (2-3, 2 2B, 3 RBI); Parkin (2-2); Wisdom (1-2, 2 R, RBI); Timmons (1-2, HR, R, 3 RBI); Stanfield (1-2, R).
1A District 4 Quarterfinals
Hoquiam 15, Stevenson 0
Hoquiam opened its district-tournament play the way it won this season’s league title, by hitting the ball hard.
Grizzlies senior Graci Bonney-Spradlin led off the bottom of the first inning with a home run as Hoquiam earned a 15-0 mercy-rule victory over Stevenson in a district-quarterfinal matchup on Wednesday in Centralia.
Bonney-Spradlin belted a 1-2 pitch over the left-field fence to kick start the Grizzlies offense, which scored twice more in the first on a Faith Prosch triple followed by a run-scoring error.
Hoquiam continued to put up crooked numbers in the third with five runs – highlighted by a Bonney-Spradlin two-run double – to build a commanding 8-0 lead.
The Grizzlies walked-off on Stevenson (11-11) with seven runs in the fourth, capped by a RBI double from pitcher Carron Blood to end the game.
Bonney-Spradlin led Hoquiam, going 2-for-2 with the solo home run, a double, two runs and four RBI.
Nine different Grizzlies collected a base hit in the game.
Stevenson 000 0 – 0 2 4
Hoquiam 305 7 – 15 13 0
WP: Blood (4 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 2 BB, 6 K). LP: Waymire (3.2 IP, 15 R, 2 ER, 13 H, 2 BB, K).
Leading hitters: Stevenson – Husley-Bible (1-2); Bringham (1-1). Hoquiam – Bonney-Spradlin (2-2, HR, 2B, 2 R, 4 RBI); Blood (2-4, RBI); Cady (2-3, 2B, 2 R, RBI); Dietrick (2-3, 2 R, RBI); Prosch (1-3, 3B, 2 R, RBI); Dhooghe (1-3, RBI); Howard (1-3, 2 R, RBI).
Montesano 12, Seton Catholic 0
Montesano opened its tournament play by cruising to a 12-0 victory over Seton Catholic in a 1A District 4 quarterfinal matchup on Wednesday in Centralia.
Monte starting pitcher Cassie Gooding sparkled in the circle, holding the Cougars (8-11) hitless without a walk while striking out seven in the five-inning victory.
The Bulldogs scored four in the bottom of the first and four in the second before putting the game away with four in the fourth, highlighted by four straight singles by Ali Parkin, Jordan Karr, Kylee Widsom and Riley Timmons.
Three Seton Catholic errors led to five unearned runs for Montesano, which was led by Parkin and Timmons, each with multi-hit games.
Seton Catholic 000 00 – 0 0 3
Montesano 440 4x – 12 7 1
WP: Gooding (5 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 7 K). LP: Clifton (4 IP, 12 R, 7 ER, 7 H, 5 BB).
Leading hitters: Montesano – Parkin (2-3, RBI); Timmons (2-3, R, 2 RBI); Hatton (1-3, R, 3 RBI); Wisdom (1-2, R, RBI); Karr (1-2, 3 R).
Elma 10, King’s Way Christian 7
Elma opened its district tournament by overcoming three home runs to beat King’s Way Christian 10-7 on Wednesday in Centralia.
The Eagles trailed 5-1 before seizing the lead with seven runs in the top of the fifth.
Emmie Spencer, Callie Galligan Delayne Hanson and Emily Comer each had RBI singles in the frame with centerfielder Aaleigha Weld belting a run-scoring double.
When the dust settled, Elma led 8-5 after recording eight hits and benefiting from one error in the fifth.
The Knights (11-8) responded with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the inning on a two-run home run by Emily Palomino to close the gap to 8-7.
But the Eagles added two runs in the top of the seventh on an error followed by a two-out, bases-loaded walk to Brooklyne Swarts to go up 10-7.
With two on and no outs in the bottom of the seventh, Hanson got Olivia Brewer to pop out to Spencer at short, Lauren Lewis and Alivia Sand to ground out on a consecutive comebackers to end the game.
Spencer led Elma with three hits and two RBI as Elma had 14 hits with nine different players collecting a hit.
KWC had 10 hits, including home runs by Palomino, Autumn Gaudet and Keira Crate.
Hanson picked up the win, allowing two earned runs on four hits with a strikeout in four innings of relief work.
Maddie Monroe started in the circle for Elma, allowing four earned runs on six hits with three strikeouts in three innings pitched.
Elma 000 170 2 – 10 14 3
KWC 022 120 0 – 7 10 6
WP: Hanson (4 IP, 3 R, 2 ER, 4 H, K). LP: Crate (4.1 IP, 8 R, 6 ER, 9 H, 4 K).
Leading hitters: Elma – Spencer (3-5, R, 2 RBI); Weld (2-4, 2B, 2 R, RBI); Comer (2-3, 2 R, RBI); Johanson (2-4, R); Mia Monroe (1-5, R); Swarts (1-4, RBI); Galligan (1-5, RBI); Rambo (1-3, R, RBI); Hanson (1-2, R, RBI). KWC – Gaudet (4-4, HR, 2 R, RBI); Wickum (2-4, R); Crate (1-4, HR, R, 2 RBI); Palomino (2-4, HR, R, RBI); Brewer (1-4, R); Sand (1-4, RBI).
