With a ticket to the WIAA 3A State Fastpitch Softball Tournament already in their pocket, the Mountlake Terrace Hawks rolled into southwest Everett on Thursday with smiles on their faces and an extra pep in their step as they had an opportunity to win a WIAA District 1 championship. And although that district title eluded them, the Hawks still walked away Thursday night smiling — and with a trophy in hand.
Terrace, the district tourney’s No. 3 seed, hung with top seed (and the state’s number one-ranked 3A team), the Snohomish Panthers, in the District 1 3A Fastpitch Softball Tournament championship game but just couldn’t make the key play nor get the big hit at a critical time. The Hawks fell to the Panthers 4-0 in the district tournament finale played at Phil Johnson Fields.
After receiving the district tournament’s second-place trophy, Terrace senior Cameron Dunn and her teammates celebrated their effort and said they are looking forward to next week’s state championship pursuit.
“I’m very excited going into state seeing from what we can do here (at districts),” Dunn said. “Definitely things to improve on but I’m really proud of how we did today.”
Freshman pitcher and team ace Ellie Gilbert got the start on the mound for the Hawks and limited Snohomish’s powerful lineup to just five hits, but three were triples that played a part in all the game scoring.
The Panthers’ Avery Clark led off the bottom of the second inning with a triple to deep right field then scored on a Bridget Johnson RBI single. In the sixth inning Skyla Bristol tripled to right center; her pinch runner would score one batter later — two more Panthers found their way home later in the inning on an Evy Messena two-run triple.
Terrace Coach Shannon Rasmussen wasn’t disappointed with Gilbert’s pitching or the Hawks’ team defense in light of the caliber of offense the Panthers have shown this year — and especially during their 14-game winning streak going into Thursday’s contest.
“We played a great game,” Rasmussen said. “We knew (the Panthers) were going to be tough; we knew that top-to-bottom of their order they’ve got hitters.”
Snohomish, the top team in the WIAA state RPI rankings and the expected top seed in the state tournament, have now outscored their opponents 167-28 in their last 15 games.
Although limited to just two hits in Thursday’s game, Terrace had chances to score against the Panthers, getting baserunners on board in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh innings. But the Hawks just couldn’t muster that key at bat when runners were in scoring position.
Despite Thursday’s loss, Rasmussen likes the attitude her squad is displaying and sees it as vital as the team now prepares for their trip to Lacey for the state tournament that starts Thursday, May 25.
“I think we’re in a good place right now and I think they’re confidence is up. And they’ve got confidence in each other,” Rasmussen said. “I think we’re ready to go.”
Rasmussen is optimistic that behind the pitching of Gilbert, the leadership of her three senior captains — Dunn, Kaylee Mitchell and Mya Sheffield — and the squad’s current mental shape, the Hawks could soar at the state tournament next week.
“I feel the sky’s the limit,” Rasmussen said. “We’ve just played right there with Snohomish and right now they’re ranked number one in the state. I feel like if we can get down there and play the way we’ve played this week we can go far, we can do some big things down there, hopefully.”
The brackets for the 20-team WIAA 3A State Fastpitch Softball Tournament are expected to be announced over the weekend.
To view the entire District 1 3A Fastpitch Softball Tournament bracket, click here.
Prep Fastpitch Softball: Mountlake Terrace vs. Snohomish, May 18 (District 1 3A Fastpitch Softball Tournament championship game)
Terrace 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 – 0 2 2
Snohomish 0 1 0 0 0 3 x – 4 5 2
Winning pitcher: Shyla Bristol (Snohomish)
Losing pitcher: Ellie Gilbert (Mountlake Terrace)
Records: Mountlake Terrace 2-1 in District 1 tournament, 15-7 overall; Snohomish 3-0 in District 1 tournament, 20-3 overall
Mountlake Terrace next game: versus opponent to be determined; Thursday or Friday, May 25 or 26; at Regional Athletic Complex in Lacey (WIAA 3A State Fastpitch Softball Tournament opening-round or second-round game)
— Story and photos by Doug Petrowski
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