Tigers take care of Wolves, advance to state quarterfinals
May 14—Box Score
At Napavine
TIGERS 11, WOLVES 0 (5 inn.)
Coupeville 000 00 — 0
Napavine 037 1X — 11
NAP Pitching — Demarest 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K. Highlights — Landram 3-4, 2 RBI, R; Demarest 2-2, 2B, BB, 2 R; Chambers 1-2, 2 RBI, BB, 2 R; Bissonnette 1-2, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, 2 R
NAPAVINE — It doesn't take much to get Ashton Demarest hyped up for any game he plays in.
So when he got the start on the mound in the opening round of the state tournament for the Tigers on Tuesday.
"We were calming him down if anything," Napavine coach Brian Demarest said with a laugh. "We knew he'd be ready to go."
The senior allowed just three hits and struck out eight in five shutout innings on the bump, and he collected two hits and scored a pair of runs to help lead the fifth-seeded Tigers to an 11-0 win over No. 12 Coupeville in the Opening Round of the 2B State Tournament.
"I don't how you couldn't get hyped up for a state game," Ashton Demarest said. "It's my last year, so we gotta keep it going."
It's Napavine's first state tournament win since 2017, which is also the last time the Tigers made it to the state quarterfinals.
It didn't take long for the Tigers (21-4) to take control against Coupeville.
Demarest needed just six pitches to set the Wolves down in order in the first, and he worked around a two-out single in the second.
Napavine's offense quickly settled into a rhythm in the bottom of the second, as the Tigers quickly adjusted to what they were seeing from Coupeville starter Seth Woollet.
"We had to have a little different approach," coach Demarest said. "We had to sit back a little more than what we have been, and they did a really good job."
The adjustments paid off in a big way in the second, as a Jack Nelson RBI double, a Hudson Chambers RBI single, and a Grady Wilson RBI groundout made it 3-0.
Napavine broke the game open by scoring seven in the third, including four runs with two outs.
"We had got a bunch of hits and didn't have a whole lot to show for it for a while," coach Demarest said. "We were really focused and did a really good job there."
The Tigers are one win away from reaching the state semifinals for the first time in seven years. They'll head east to take on No. 4 River View.
The Panthers went 21-3 in the regular season, including two wins over No. 2 Tri-Cities Prep, the reigning state champions, but they lost their most recent matchup with the Jaguars in the District 5 title game.
"These guys will be ready to go," Brian Demarest said. "They know what the expectation is, and hopefully, they'll play to that. I think our best is still yet to come."
