Over the past few weeks in what has been a crazy 2A Evergreen League race with plenty of twists and turns, not one team sitting above Aberdeen atop the standings could win the big game when it mattered most.
When the same opportunity presented itself to Aberdeen, the Bobcats didn’t make the same mistake.
Leading by one game over Tumwater and needing to beat W.F. West in a tough road environment to claim the 2A Evergreen League title, the Bobcats shined in a pressure-packed situation, winning 2-0 over the Bearcats.
In a highly-competitive game where base hits were few and far between, Aberdeen used a big-time pitching performance from ace right-hander Lilly Camp as the key mitigating factor to emerge victorious.
“I know the pressure didn’t get to her. … The moment she was about to take the mound, just the look in her eyes, I knew nothing was going to faze her,” Aberdeen head coach Jimmy McDaniel said of his star sophomore hurler. “She went out calm and relaxed. We could see it in her eyes. She didn’t show any change of emotion. She stayed composed the entire time. She was determined to go out and help these girls win this game.”
The Bobcats (12-7 overall, 9-3 2A Evergreen) scored a run in the top of the second when Camp led off with a single and, after stealing second, was subbed out for courtesy runner Maddie Gore. With one out, Gore stole third and came in to score on a single to center by Britten Neal.
In the fourth, Gore led off with a hustle infield single and advanced to second on an errant throw after a Scotlyn Lecomte fly out. Gore advanced to third on a passed ball and came in to score on Aili Scott’s 100th hit of her prep career – a single to short – putting Aberdeen up 2-0.
ALEC DIETZ / THE CHRONICLE Aberdeen’s Zoe Vessey takes a swing in a 2-0 win over W.F. West on Wednesday at Rec Park in Chehalis.
That was all Camp would need as the standout pitcher staked a claim to league MVP honors with a determined performance. Camp held W.F. West hitless through the first 4 2-3 innings and never allowing a runner past first base the entire game.
Camp struck out the side in the third inning and held the Bearcats’ top five batters to an 0-for-14 day with one walk and six strikeouts. Of her 93 pitches in the game, Camp threw 70 for strikes without a wild pitch. Camp allowed just two hits and two walks in the game while striking out 10 in tossing a complete-game shutout in the biggest game of Aberdeen’s season to date.
McDaniel said Camp’s ability to mix in effective off-speed pitches in the later innings was key to the Aberdeen victory.
“We didn’t mix up the timing until late in this game. They know she has it, but we didn’t show it to them until late,” McDaniel said, adding Camp used her drop ball to induce ground balls throughout the game and mixed in a back-door curve and change-up to keep the Bearcats off balance. “We kept changing on them every couple of innings just to keep them guessing the entire game. … Lilly threw a heck of a game, probably the best game she’s thrown in her career. This was a huge one for her.”
When W.F. West put the ball in play, the Aberdeen defense played nearly mistake-free softball. Aside from a lone error with one out in the bottom of the fourth, the Bobcats played flawless defense, particularly up the middle with Zoe Vessey at short stop and Scott at second. The pair combined for five putouts in the game.
With the victory, Aberdeen wins the 2A Evergreen League, a feat that looked far from possible after the Cats were in danger of falling out of third place after a loss to Tumwater on May 1.
But McDaniel and assistant coaches Kyle Scott and Brandon Siano made some key moves regarding strategy and an increased focus on mental preparation helped turn the Bobcats into steely-nerved league champs.
“In the last three weeks or so, we stopped paying attention to the standings. We made it an emphasis to take it one game at a time and we’ll see where we are on May 10,” McDaniel said. “We just didn’t want them to feel so pressured. We tried not to dwell on the standings at all. It was just a one-game approach, day after day, and not to worry. It gave them less things to think about when they were on the field or up at bat.”
SUBMITTED PHOTO Aberdeen senior Aili Scott recorded the 100th hit of her prep career with a single in a 2-0 victory over W.F. West on Wednesday in Chehalis.
The strategy also helped the Bobcats to flush away any negativity and keep situations from snowballing out of control when games didn’t go their way, as evidenced by their calm and collected response after failing to score with the bases loaded and one out in the top of the third.
“Between every inning, whether we were coming off the field or going up to bat, we just kept reminding them to be confident in themselves, not to overthink anything and just go out and play their game,” McDaniel said. “When they are relaxed and just playing their game, all that work they did at practice takes over and it’s just second nature to them. … They kept themselves composed and confident about winning this game. … I think it really showed what they are capable of doing when they are focused and mentally prepared.”
W.F. West (13-7, 7-5), which could have secured the league title with a victory, dropped into a logjam at third place with Rochester and Centralia and will have to face Rochester in a loser-out game to determine the league’s fourth playoff spot on Friday.
The loss also spoiled a fine outing by W.F. West starter Ella Young, who allowed one earned run on six hits with three walks and three strikeouts in seven innings.
Aberdeen opens the 2A District 4 Tournament against the Greater St. Helen’s League No. 4 seed at 4 p.m. on Thursday, May 18 at Recreation Park in Chehalis.
Aberdeen 010 100 0 – 2 6 1
W.F. West 000 000 0 – 0 2 1
WP: Camp (7 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 2 BB, 10 K). LP: Young (7 IP, 2 R, ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 3 K).
Leading hitters: Aberdeen – Scott (1-4, RBI); L. Yakovich (1-3); A. Yakovich (1-4); Camp (1-1, 2 BB); Neal (1-3, RBI); Lecomte (1-3); Gore (0-2, 2 R). WFW – Brindle (1-2); Froschaver (1-2).
