PREP SOFTBALL

Pe Ell-Willapa Valley 4, Northwest Christian (Colbert) 0

The Pe Ell-Willapa Valley Titans made a statement heard across the 2B section on Saturday.

PWV got an outstanding pitching performance from freshman starter Olivia Matlock en route to a 4-0 victory over the previously unbeaten reigning 2B champion Northwest Christian (Colbert) at Napavine High School.

Matlock was on her game, holding the Crusaders (9-1 overall) — the state’s top-ranked team in the 2B class — to just one hit while striking out 12 in a complete-game outing, ending the Crusaders’ 36-game win streak in the process.

“Olivia had a great performance on the mound today,” PWV head coach Ken Olson said. “Our kids played a great game together. It was pretty fun to watch.”

Matlock had plenty of help as the sixth-ranked Titans (8-2, 7-0 Pacific 2B) benefited from some timely hits and an error-free defense to win the neutral-site, non-league matchup.

PWV catcher Grace Hodel broke a scoreless tie by driving in Britney Patrick, who was aboard with a double, with a line-drive single to right field in the bottom of the second inning.

In the fifth, PWV would give Matlock a 3-0 cushion. With Merissa Frasier on first with one out, PWV’s Morgan Coady drove hard-throwing Crusaders starter Allison Shaler’s pitch deep to the outfield gap, chasing Frasier home with a triple. Katelyn McGough followed Coady with a line-drive single up the middle to give PWV the three-run advantage.

An inning later, Patrick belted her third home run of the season — a solo shot deep over the right-field wall — to extend the Titans lead to 4-0.

“We were hitting the ball all over the yard today,” Olson said, adding the PWV coaching staff had been fine-tuning his players swings during the recent rainy weather. “We made some adjustments to some of their swings over the last two weeks. They accepted the changes and had a good week of practice to prepare for NWC and it all paid off. I’m just super proud of our kids.”

PWV’s defense was also outstanding, specifically Hodel. The senior guided Matlock through a treacherous Crusaders offense that entered the game scoring 10 or more runs in seven of its nine wins. Hodel also showed off a cannon for an arm, cutting down potential basestealers at second and third as well as picking a runner of third to kill a Crusaders scoring threat.

“She was fantastic today,” Olson said of Hodel. “Grace called a great game, … She got us out of a couple of innings. … We played a really clean defensive game today and that was the difference.”

The victory provided a bit vindication for the Titans, which was knocked out of last season’s state quarterfinals with an 8-4 loss to Shaler and the Crusaders, ending PWV’s shot at back-to-back state titles.

“They were obviously very excited and very deserving,” Olson said of his players. “Competence breeds confidence. They came into the game loose and relaxed and to beat the defending state champs, nothing but good things can come out of this.”

PWV takes on North Beach in a Pacific League doubleheader on Tuesday in Ocean Shores. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.

NWC 000 000 0 — 0 1 0

PWV 010 021 x — 4 6 0

WP — Matlock (7 IP, 0 ER, 6 H, 12 K, 2 BB); LP — Shaler (6 IP, 4 R, 6 H, K)

Top Players: PWV — Patrick (2-3, HR, 2B, 2 R, RBI); Coady (1-2, 3B, RBI); Jeorgi Ritzman (1B); McGough (1B, RBI), Hodel (1B, RBI). NWV — Amree Tibbetts (1-3, 2B)

PREP TRACK AND FIELD

Twin Harbors well represented at Chehalis Activators Invite

The Twin Harbors area was well represented at the Chehalis Activators Invitational meet at WF West High School on Saturday.

Mary M. Knight’s Kaylee Sowle won four events and Elma’s girls and Hoquiam’s boys teams placed third overall at the invitational portion of the meet on Saturday.

Sowle took first in the 100 meters, the high jump, long jump and the triple jump on Saturday. The Owls senior edged North Beach speedster Lorin Cox at the line of the 100 meter final, winning with a time of 12.91 to Cox’s 12.97.

Sowle won the high jump with a mark of five feet, six inches, two inches better than Raymond freshman Kyra Gardner, who placed second.

Sowle rounded out her day with wins in the long jump (16-06.50) and triple jump (36-03.00), the latter being a personal-best mark.

Hoquiam freshman thrower Tyara Straka won the discus with a personal-best throw of 121 feet, 10 inches, beating Aberdeen’s Patricia Bates, who placed second with a throw of 109-02.

Straka also won the shot put with a heave of 42-04.75.

Local athletes swept the girls throwing events when Taholah’s Denise Curley Bear recorded a personal best in the javelin with a toss of 112-02. Ocosta’s Kylee Poirier (107-03) and Hoquiam’s Taylor Strom (102-10) placed second and third, respectively.

Elma’s Jillian Bieker won the 100-meter hurdles with a personal-record time of 15.79. Bieker also placed second in the 300-meter hurdles and anchored Elma’s victorious 4×200 relay team (Jayla Mason, Tatiana Freeman, Maddi Clark, Bieker) that finished with a time of 1:49.16.

Elma’s girls placed third as a team at the invitational with 64 points. one point behind second place Rainier.

In the competition for a boys team title, two 1A Evergreen rivals placed in the top five to pace Twin Harbors teams.

Led by event wins from Antonio Garcia (110m hurdles, 15.25) and Caleb Larsen (shot put, 46-11.50), Hoquiam’s boys team placed third overall with 54 points, two behind second-place Adna.

Matt Brown and Jonah Doll also earned some key points for Hoquiam. Brown placed second in the discus (133-10) and third in the javelin with a PR throw of 160-05. Doll had a PR mark in the long jump (20-04.00) to finish third in the long jump.

Elma placed third in the team standings, two points behind the Grizzlies. The Eagles were led by Cody Vollan, who recorded PR times in both the 200 (22.95, 2nd) and the 400 (50.14, 1st).

Elma’s Ben Bridge contributed some points with a second-place finish behind Larsen in the shot put, recording a season-best mark of 46-06.25.

Elma also got points from its relay teams. The Eagles 4×100 relay team of Jaedyn Edenstrom, Ray Billerback, Tucker Simpkins and Vollan placed third with a time of 44.77. Elma’s 4×400 relay team (Billerback, Edenstrom, Simpkins, Vollan) also placed third, crossing the finish line with a time of 3:35.52.

Other local athletes to place in the top three were Taholah’s JauVon James-Juneau, who took first in the javelin with a PR throw of 185-08.

North Beach’s Marcus Pope placed second behind James-Juneau with a mark of 162-01, also a personal best.

Pope’s teammate, Isaiah Richards, placed third in the pole vault with a PR of 12-06.00.

Pe Ell’s Braeden McAllister placed third in the 300-meter hurdles with a personal-best time of 43.19.

For full meet results, visit athletic.net/TrackAndField/MeetResults.aspx?Meet=359475&show=all.

Two Trojans place at Nike Eason Invite

Two Willapa Valley track and field athletes placed at the Nike Eason Invitational at Sonohomish High School on Saturday.

Halle Layman placed fifth in the discus with a throw of 114 feet even. Though Layman didn’t place in the shot put, the junior managed to throw a personal-best 34-06.50 in that event.

Willapa Valley hurdler Hannah Cook also placed on the podium in an event, taking seventh place in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 48.40.

“Outstanding efforts by both young ladies. The level of competition at this meet is outstanding,” Trojans head coach Dave Ege said. “We were one of only two 2B schools competing in the 3A and 4A heavy meet.”

For full meet results, visit athletic.net/TrackAndField/MeetResults.aspx?Meet=351693&show=all.