Aberdeen falls in district-title pitcher's dual to W.F. West

May 18—In a district-championship game where runs were at a premium, Aberdeen never got the key hit it needed in a 2-1 loss to W.F. West on Friday at Recreation Park in Chehalis.

The Bobcats (18-6 overall) drew first blood against a stingy Bearcats defense when right fielder Scotlyn Lecomte led off the top of the second with a double, but was stranded at second after Bearcats starting pitcher Taylor Tobin got back-to-back strikeouts.

With two outs and left fielder Shyanna Patrick at the plate, Lecomte stole third then came in to score on a wild pitch for a 1-0 Aberdeen lead.

The Bearcats (18-6) tied the game in the third when an Aberdeen error in the outfield allowed Lena Fragner to go from first on a single all the way around to third with one out.

Camp got Addie Froschauer to ground out on a come-backer, holding Fragner at third and putting Aberdeen just one out away from getting out of the inning unscathed.

But the Bearcats' Avalon Myers had other ideas, lacing an 0-2 pitch into center field to score Franger and tie up the game.

Aberdeen had two on with two outs in the fifth with Camp at the plate against Bearcats reliever Monroe Dalrymple, but a hard ground ball was smothered by W.F. West third baesman Tanner Tobin, who stepped on third to end the Bobcats threat.

In the sixth, Aberdeen had two outs with two on when Patrick smacked a hard ground ball to short that had its eyes on the outfield. But Myers dove to get a glove on the ball and keep it in the infield, allowing the runners to advance a base but keeping Lecomte from rounding third and heading home with the go-ahead run. Dalrymple got shortstop Zoe Vessey to ground out to end the inning and keep Aberdeen to just one run.

In the bottom of the sixth, the clutch hit to break the tie that both teams had been searching for went in favor of W.F. West. With one out an none on, Bearcats junior Aubree Nelson belted the first pitch she saw from Camp deep over the center-field wall for a solo home run and a 2-1 lead.

"(Nelson) got a huge hit her previous at-bat and capitalized on another," Aberdeen head coach Jimmy McDaniel said. "She seized that moment and got one."

Aberdeen had a runner on base with one out in the seventh when Laynie Yakovich continued her all-state caliber run through the postseason with her third single of the game.

But Dalrymple got Camp to strike out on a full-count high fastball and induced a ground out by Aberdeen catcher Alyssa Yakovich to end the game and the Bobcats' hopes of their first district softball title.

"(W.F. West) made the plays to keep them in it and we missed a couple of plays," said McDaniel, adding that Camp and Annika Hollingsworth, who threw 2-3 of an inning of scoreless relief, "pitched well."

While the loss was disappointing for Aberdeen, McDaniel said his players have nothing to hang their heads over considering they just made school history with the second-place finish at districts, the highest ever for a Bobcats softball squad.

"I can't take anything away from W.F. West, but I can't take away anything from these girls," said McDaniel, pointing to his team. "This is history for the school, history for the program and history for all these girls and they'll remember this."

McDaniel added the big prize is still ahead and after coming home from last season's state tournament with a fourth-place trophy, his team will be focused on achieving greater heights this season.

"I told them, 'We're still going to state. Celebrate this,'" he said. "They won the (2A Evergreen) League last year, took second in districts this year, the school hasn't done that. We had school history last year and we're still creating school history. These girls are tough and I told them there is no shame in losing a tough game like that. ... We can still go bigger than this. We did it last year and we can do it again this year."

Aberdeen will begin its state-tournament journey on Friday at Carlon Park in Selah.

Aberdeen 010 000 0 — 1 8 4

W.F. West 001 001 x — 2 5 2

WP: Dalrymple (4 IP, 0R, 3H, BB, 3K). LP: Camp (5.1 IP, 2R, 2ER, 5H, BB, 6K).

Leading hitters: Aberdeen — L. Yakovich (3-4); Lecomte (1-2, 2B, R); Mainio (1-3); Patrick (1-3); Hollingsworth (1-4, 2B). WFW — Nelson (2-2, HR, R, RBI); Myers (2-3, RBI); L. Fragner (1-3, R).