The state high school softball title came back to Kirkland for the second consecutive season on Saturday but it wasn’t the team that won KingCo and Districts.
The Juanita High School softball team completed an unlikely run by defeating Everett, 9-0, during the title game to take the 3A State Softball Championship on Saturday at the Regional Athletic Complex in Lacey.
“Winning the state title this year was so unexpected, yet well deserved,” said Juanita head coach Traci Odegard. “These girls came into the tournament with no pressure on them and just played the game to the best of their ability. They worked hard and worked together as a team, and I truly believe that is what allowed them to do so well and win it all.”
Leading the way was starting pitcher Lisa Nelson, who picked up all four wins during the tournament for the Rebels by throwing 26 shutout innings. She also went 4-for-4 with a home run during the championship game.
“Lisa Nelson is an outstanding pitcher, and she proved that this weekend,” Odegard said. “We knew she had it in her and she showed everyone at the tournament that she deserved to be there and came in with such poise and confidence. I couldn’t be more proud of her.”
Juanita, which entered the tournament as a No. 5 seed, is just the second team all season to defeat Everett. The Rebels make upsets common place in Lacey.
Juanita hammered the ball during the two-day tournament, including an 8-0 victory against Prairie during the semifinals. Aimee Richardson led the offensive onslaught, going 4-for-4 with a home run and five RBI. Nelson came up big in that game as well, throwing a complete game one-hitter with 10 strikeouts.
Juanita won by mercy rule during the quarter finals, 10-0, in five innings against North Central of Spokane. Nelson gave up just four hits while striking out nine batters during the game. Richardson finished 3-for-4 with a double, while Lexi Blackburn was 3-for-3, Madi Hedlund was 2-for-3 and Gianna Paribello was 2-for-3.
“Our seniors really shined through this last weekend,” Odegard said. “Madi Hedlund our shortstop consistently hit every game giving us great opportunities. Aimee Richardson, our center fielder, made game changing plays on defense and hit the ball hard every at bat.”
The only contest that the Rebels didn’t pound the ball in came during the opening round of the tournament on Friday. Juanita handed Enumclaw its second loss of the season, 1-0, as Nelson struck out nine batters for a complete-game victory. Hedlund was the star at the plate, finishing 3-for-3.
In all, the Rebels dominated their opponents’ offenses finishing with 26-shutout innings during the tournament.
“I wasn’t surprised about the shut outs because we have worked all year on perfecting our defense,” Odegard said. “I believe and have stressed from day one that defense wins games, and these girls showed that by not allowing one run in four games against four very tough teams.”
Juanita finishes the season with an overall record of 24-7 and are already looking toward defending the title.
“Our team is very young, starting three freshmen and three sophomores,” Odegard said. “They have grown so much over this season. We may not have had the best record coming into the state tournament, however, I have told my girls throughout the year, ‘its not where you start, its where you finish.’ I am so proud of these 12 girls. We played every game one out at a time, and had fun supporting each other and playing the best defense I have ever seen. I couldn’t be more happier.”
Kangs
Lake Washington had a difficult time after getting off to a slow start. A first-round loss to Prairie, 6-2, knocked the defending 2A state champs out of contention on Friday.
The Kangs won their first consolation bracket contest, 9-6, against Auburn Mountainview High School.
Lake Washington went on to defeat Edmonds-Woodway, 5-1, behind pitcher Tori Bivens, who threw a complete game two-hitter.
The team’s final game was a 9-7 loss to Kelso. Lake Washington showed heart during the game by waging a comeback after being down 8-1.
