That was the case for Yelm on Friday as it fell to Enumclaw, 7-2, in the quarterfinals of the 3A West Central District III fastpitch tournament at Sprinker Recreation Center.
The second-seeded Tornados racked up six hits to the Hornets’ nine, but were unable to get past freshman pitcher Chloe Young.
“They’re a good team, and you’ve got to come out,” said Yelm coach Lindsay Walton. “We hit the ball well, we hit it hard, but they had some great plays.
“That was tough to swallow because when you’re hitting the ball hard, and you try to get things going and it doesn’t happen, it takes away a little bit of the fire.”
Senior first baseman Courtney Madson, who drove in one of Yelm’s two runs in the fourth inning, agreed that the Tornados were a bit flustered by the Hornets.
“We got down in the first few innings, but we started hitting and doing well,” she said. “But they kept catching our balls, and we stopped them, but couldn’t get back up.”
Junior outfielder Anna DeGroot went 3-for-3 with two runs for Enumclaw.
Yelm has one more shot to make state today at 10 a.m. against Kelso. The Tornados won the 3A state title in 2004, but have not been back since.
“These girls really want it,” Walton said. “We’re just going to have to carry over our offensive game and hopefully our defensive game will pick up as well.”
Capital faces a loser-out scenario today against Prairie after losing 9-3 to Camas.
Junior outfielder Charlie Brossart was 1-for-2 with a double and two RBI for Capital in the loss.
Also advancing was 3A Narrows League champion Wilson, with a 2-1 win over Prairie. The Rams will play Peninsula, which shut out Auburn Mountainview, 5-0.
CLASS 4A
Olympia knocked out: The Olympia Bears’ season came to an end Friday after a pair of losses – 4-3 to Skyview and 3-0 to Todd Beamer – in the quarterfinals.
Bellarmine Prep earned its first state berth in school history with a 7-1 win over Kentwood. The Lions face Emerald Ridge today at 2 p.m.
Rogers also advanced to the semifinals, scoring 14 runs in the third inning to best Kentwood, 17-2, in five innings. Rogers will face Jefferson next.
