Vikings fall in quarterfinals, bounce back in consolation game
May 24—Box Score
At Gateway Sports Complex (Yakima)
WILDCATS 15, VIKINGS 9
Mossyrock 112 201 2 — 9
Colton 024 270 X — 15
MOS Pitching — Cournyer 4.1 IP, 9 H, 14 R (3 ER), 4 BB, 4 K; Rashoff 1.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K. Highlights — Schultz 3-4, 2 3B, 4 RBI, BB, R; B. Schwartz 4-4, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R
VIKINGS 25, COMETS 5 (5 inn.)
Mossyrock 4(11)5 14 — 25
Naselle 011 30 — 5
MOS Pitching — Cournyer 2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K; Rashoff 3 IP, 4 H, 4 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 3 K. Highlights — Gerard 6-6, 2 2B, 4 RBI, 4 R; Barrows 2-5, 2B, 3 RBI, 4 R; Schultz 3-3, 2 2B, 4 RBI, 4 R; Marshall 2-3, 3 RBI, BB.
YAKIMA — Things can change quickly in any softball game, especially at the state tournament. One inning can change things drastically.
Mossyrock was on both ends of a big inning in their two state tournament games on Friday, as the Vikings let an early lead slip in a 15-9 loss to Colton before rebounding with a 25-5 win over Naselle in a consolation game.
"We started out good, and then we had a bad inning and it kinda fell apart," Mossyrock coach Keith Coleman said. "It's tough, but we can get a win tomorrow, bounce back, and bring a trophy home."
Mossyrock and Colton exchanged blows over the first four innings, passing the lead back and forth, before the Wildcats struck for seven in the fifth to make it a nine-run game.
The loss was Mossyrock's first to a 1B opponent this season, as each of their previous six losses came in a non-league schedule packed with 2B opponents.
After the loss, the Vikings dropped down to the consolation bracket, where they met a familiar opponent in Naselle.
"We've played them three times, so we were pretty confident that we could beat them again," Coleman said.
The Vikings' big inning came in the second, when they scored 11 runs to push a 4-0 lead to a 15-0 advantage. The first eight Mossyrock hitters reached base, including a string of three straight RBI base hits from Adyson Barrows, Chesney Schultz, and Erin Cournyer.
By the end of the game, Mossyrock had scored the most runs it had in a game all season.
Hadliegh Gerard went a perfect 6 for 6 at the plate, hitting two doubles and driving in four. After tallying three hits, including two triples, in the quarterfinal, Schultz added three more hits and drove in four. Renzy Marshall and Barrows each logged a pair of hits and drove in three.
"All day, we hit the ball well," Coleman said. "They were just coming up with big hits at the right time, and they've done it all year long."
Mossyrock will play in a consolation semifinal against Inchelium at 12:30 on Saturday. The winner of that game will advance to the third-place game to face the winner of Muckleshoot Tribal vs. Colton.
Coleman is hopeful that the Vikings will be able to bring a trophy home, but he also noted that he's happy that the girls will have one more day on the field together.
"It's always about the girls," Coleman said. "Making memories they'll never forget. That's what it's all about."
