YAKIMA — The Forks softball team won four out of five games at the 2B state tournament in Yakima to finish third in the state.
Meanwhile, both Port Angeles and Sequim won close games at the state 2A tournament in nearby Selah, but they both ended up going 1-2 and didn’t place.
Forks started off Friday by beating Kittitas-Thorp 12-2. The Spartans then lost to Adna 10-5 in the 2B quarterfinals, putting them in the third-place bracket.
On Saturday, Forks began by beating Lake Roosevelt 19-8, Rainier 17-6 and Colfax 13-8 in the third-place game.
Adna, the only team to beat Forks, made it to the championship game and finished second. Pe Ell-Willapa Valley won the state 2B championship by beating Adna 11-0.
Forks completed its season at 18-6. The Spartans graduate only two seniors, Nicole Winger and Jordan Davis-Jackson, so they should be strong again next year.
Port Angeles, Sequim
SELAH — Both Olympic League teams got difficult draws and were not able to place among the top four at the state 2A tournament, though they did both have dramatic wins.
Port Angeles started off as a No. 8 seed and beat Ridgefield in its opening game Friday 11-10 on a dramatic, walk-off home run by Peyton Rudd. Unfortunately, the Roughriders then had to play the No. 1 seed in the tournament, 24-1 Othello in the second round and Othello won 6-1.
Othello went on to the state 2A championship game, losing to Tumwater 13-3.
In the consolation bracket, the Riders played Rochester and lost 14-12.
Sequim started off as a No. 15 seed and was forced to play No. 2 seed WF West in its opening game, losing 10-3. WF West ended up third in the state.
In the consolation bracket, the Wolves got into a pair of slugfests. They bounced back by beating Cedarcrest 14-12 on a home run in the seventh inning by Mia Pozernick, then lost to Ellensburg 14-13 to knock them out of the tournament.
The Riders finished the season 20-5. They graduate starting pitcher Teagan Clark, Rudd, league MVP Zoe Smithson, Anne Edwards and Emi Halberg but bring back the rest of their team next year.
The Wolves finished 14-10. They graduate Addie Smith, Lily Fili, Katelynn Glass and first-team all-leaguer Christy Grubb.