The 2B District 4 Softball Tournament opened on Monday with Raymond-South Bend and Ocosta playing to keep their seasons alive.
PREP SOFTBALL
Raymond-South Bend 12, Napavine 3
Raymond-South Bend did so much right in a 12-3 victory over Napavine in a 2B District 4 Tournament first-round game on Monday in Montesano.
Playing to keep its season alive, Raymond-South Bend (9-6 overall) was hot from the start. The Ravens scored six runs in the bottom of the first inning, highlighted by a Kami Harriman two-run double.
The Ravens put the game just about out of reach an inning later, scoring four runs on a Kassie Koski two-run double, an RBI single by center fielder Emma Glazier and a ground out to take a commanding 10-1 lead.
RSB added a run in the third when a high pop-up by second baseman Berklee Morley fell into no man’s land behind first base and spun into foul territory. Kyndal Koski raced around to score the Ravens’ 11th run of the game.
RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Raymond-South Bend shortstop Kyndal Koski (right) slides in safely to second base against Napavine’s Taylen Evander during a 12-3 win in a 2B District 4 playoff game on Monday in Montesano.
Napavine (14-8) rallied for a pair of runs off RSB starting pitcher Ashlee Payne on an error and a hit batter with the bases loaded in the top of the fourth to trim the deficit to 12-3.
The Ravens tacked on a run in the fifth when Kyndal Koski led off with a single and later scored on a fielder’s choice ground out by sophomore sister Kassie Koski.
That was plenty of run support for Payne and the Ravens defense, which ended the game with a double play when Morley snagged a liner at second and threw to Kassie Koski at third to catch the Tigers’ Clara Fay off third base.
The top of the Raymond-South Bend lineup did the heavy lifting, with the top four Ravens hitting a combined 8-for-13 (.615) with 10 runs and six RBI.
According to senior Kyndal Koski, the Ravens were loose and didn’t let the pressure of playing in an elimination game get to them, allowing Raymond-South Bend players to work deep into counts, make plays on defense and be aggressive yet smart on the base paths.
“We struggled (in our last game) against Elma and (head coach Dakota Fluke) noticed we were really tight. So the whole practice this last week we were playing loose so we were not uptight,” said Kyndal Koski, who scored four runs and stole four bases in the game. “We noticed we play a lot better when we are loose, so we always try to keep that mindset.”
RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Raymond-South Bend center fielder Emma Glazier (left) gets a high five from first-base coach Jason Koski during a 12-3 win over Napavine on Monday in Montesano.
That mindset also translated on defense, where the Ravens excelled despite three errors, mostly due to the play of Kyndal Koski, who gobbled up any ground balls hit her way.
One of the better examples of this was with the bases loaded an two outs in the top of the fourth, Kyndal Koski dove to her right to snag a hard grounder off the bat of Clara Fay. She flipped to sister Kassie from her knees at third to end the inning.
“Tonight’s game was great. Our girls were relaxed and calm the whole time and that is exactly how I hope we play the rest of this tournament,” Fluke said. “Kyndal had some incredible plays in the field and everyone did their jobs.”
RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Raymond-South Bend pitcher Ashlee Payne earned a 12-3 win over Napavine in a 2B District 4 playoff game on Monday in Montesano.
“Defensively, (Ashlee Payne) let them hit the ball and we were just there every single time,” Kyndal Koski said. “Our outfielders read the ball really well today and Berklee made a couple of plays on what were solid hits.”
With the win, Raymond-South Bend stays alive and advances to Wednesday’s quarterfinal matchup against defending state-champion Adna in a game scheduled for 2 p.m. at Fort Borst Park in Centralia.
Napavine 100 200 0 – 3 7 1
RSB 641 010 x – 12 10 3
WP: Ash. Payne (7 IP, 3R, 3ER, 8H, 2BB, 5K). LP: Fay (6 IP, 12R, 11ER, 10H, 5BB, 7K).
Leading hitters: Napavine – Evander (2-3, R, RBI); Fay (1-3); Pancake (2-4, R, RBI); Lara (1-3, R); Kaut (1-4). RSB – Kas. Koski (2-3, 2B, 2R, 3RBI); Kyn. Koski (2-2, 4R, 4SB); Morley (2-4, 2R, RBI); Glazier (2-4, 2B, 2R, 2RBI); Harriman (1-3, 2B, R, 2RBI); McMullen (1-4).
RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Ocosta pitcher Jessie Gilbert threw a no-hitter with 18 strikeouts in a 7-4 win over Toutle Lake in the first round of the 2B District 4 Tournament on Monday in Montesano.
Ocosta 7, Toutle Lake 4
The formula for teams facing defending district-champion Ocosta in the 2B District 4 Tournament this season is simple enough: Don’t let Wildcats junior pitcher Jessie Gilbert beat you.
Easier said than done.
Gilbert hit a home run and struck out 18 in a no-hit performance to lead Ocosta to a 7-4 victory in a district first-round game on Monday in Montesano.
The Wildcats (15-6) took the early lead with four runs in the first capped by a two-run double off the bat of second baseman Brynn Rasmus.
Ocosta added three more in the third with a leadoff home run from Gilbert, a bases-loaded walk to Gabby Ness and an error to take a 7-0 lead.
Toutle Lake (8-12) got to Gilbert after leadoff hitter Lindsay Kirkley reached on a dropped third strike and advanced to second on an error.
A ball then hit to left field by Paisley Fraidenburg was misplayed, with a second error on the play resulting in three runs scored for the Ducks, with Fraidenburg crossing the plate for a “Little League home run” and cutting the Wildcats’ lead to 7-4.
Toutle Lake would threaten again in the seventh when Kirkley drew Gilbert’s fourth walk of the inning to force in a run with two outs. But Gilbert rebounded to strikeout Jordyn Casi for the final out of the game.
Gilbert allowed four runs – one earned – on no hits with five walks and 18 strikeouts in another dominant district-tourney pitching performance.
The Loyola Marymount-bound right-hander touched 67 mph on the radar gun at times during the game and was intentionally walked twice after belting her home run in the third.
“We can trust our training and we know what to do. If we do better than what we did last year, we can do it,” Gilbert said of the team’s mindset heading into the elimination game. “(The early runs) were a big relief. It just feels good to go out and have a little stress taken off my shoulders, and I can always count on my team for that.”
RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Ocosta’s Noel Cuzdey smacks a base hit during a 7-4 win over Toutle Lake in the first round of the 2B District 4 Tournament on Monday in Montesano.
Ocosta hit up and down the lineup, with eight of nine Wildcats collecting at least one hit in the game.
“I put all my trust in my team and I knew they could do it,” Gilbert said. “They trusted me and I trusted them and I feel like that’s a big part of it.”
Ocosta faces Toledo in a district-quarterfinal game at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Ft. Borst Park in Centralia.
Toutle Lake 000 300 1 – 4 0 1
Ocosta 403 000 x – 7 9 4
WP: Gilbert (7 IP, 4R, ER, 0H, 5BB, 18K). LP: Kilponen (6 IP, 7R, 6ER, 9H, 4BB, 4K).
Leading hitters: Toutle Lake – Kirkley (0-3, R, RBI, BB). Ocosta – Gilbert (2-2, HR, 2R, 3RBI); Rasmus (1-2, 2B, R, 2RBI); J. Schlegel (1-3, 2B, 2R); S. Schlegel (1-4, 2B, R); Cuzdey (1-4, R); Rosander (1-4); Morales (1-4); Olive (1-3).
