Class 3A: Yelm edges Mount Si to take first title

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TACOMA — Yelm was only second best fastpitch softball team in its league and regional tournaments. But the Tornadoes blew through two days of the Class 3A state tournament like the perfect storm.

Yelm turned a leadoff single by Ashley Baker into an early run, and pitcher Ruth Anderson made it stand up in a 1-0 win over Mount Si that gave the school its first state softball championship.

"This should put us on the map," an emotional Anderson said after setting down the last 12 Mount Si batters to finish a five-hitter at the South End Recreational Area complex. "I don't think most people know where Yelm is."

Yelm, located south of Olympia on Highway 507, finished second to Chehalis in both the Pac 9 league and Southwest regional tournaments.

Mount Si (19-10) was equally unheralded. The Wildcats from Snoqualmie, who began the postseason seeded sixth in the KingCo 3A tournament, finished 9-2 in postseason play and came close to winning it all despite a roster with no seniors.

"Nobody expected us to get this far," said Mount Si pitcher Kandis Clesson, who hurled nine-inning games in the quarterfinals and semifinals. "I think our team was good enough. We just hadn't show it before."

The top of the first inning against Yelm, however, was a nightmare for Mount Si. Baker's single was followed by a sacrifice bunt from Brandi Cavanaugh. But when Wildcats first baseman Katie Morgan tried to pick Baker off at second base, the ball sailed into left field and Baker came around to score the unearned run.

Mount Si's best chance came in the bottom of the third, when the Wildcats rapped three singles off Anderson. But when Amy Trenkamp tried to score from second on a single by Ashley Svarthumie, she was gunned down on a laser to the plate by Yelm left fielder Amy Gagner.

"That throw was perfect," Yelm coach Mike Carruth said. "Other than that, it was just Ruth making them hit groundballs and the defense taking care of it."

Svarthumie's hit produced Mount Si's final base runner, as Anderson closed the door. She allowed only two runs in a tournament.

"I'll be honest, it surprised the heck out of me," Anderson said of Yelm's title run.

There were few tears on the Mount Si sideline, where players and coach Larry White accepted congratulations for their surprising finals appearance.

When officials from the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association presented Yelm with the plate in the postgame award ceremony, Mount Si players Kayla Jayne, Emily White and Sophia Hart jokingly ran out to grab second base.

"We didn't know if we were going to make it to districts," said White. "This is the kind of thing dreams are made of. I think when the girls go back to school on Tuesday they still won't realize they were actually here."

Other games

Chehalis 2, Mount Rainier 0 (3rd-4th places) — Sisters Shalene and Samantha Petrich each drove in runs with two-out hits as the Bearcats placed among the top three at state for the fourth time in five years.

Samantha Petrich beat out a grounder to short for an infield hit after Carolyn Spogen reached third on a two-base error in the fourth inning. Shalene Petrich drilled a double to score Nicole Andrews, who led off the fifth inning with a single and moved to second on a sacrifice.

Chehalis pitcher Michelle Sauter threw a three-hitter with seven strikeouts and no walks. Erika Zimmerman went 2 for 3 for Mount Rainier, which enjoyed its best state finish in school history.

Mount Si 4, Mount Rainier 3, 9 innings (semifinal) — A Rams error on Sam Baldwin's sacrifice bunt in the bottom of the ninth allowed teammate Erika Evans to score from second base and end the see-saw contest. Jayne went 2 for 3 with a double, triple and two RBI for the Wildcats. Ashley Wright was 3 for 4 with a double and two runs for the Rams.

Yelm 4, Skyline 0 (semifinal) — Kim Waller's two-out, bases-loaded single in the third was misplayed for an error that allowed all three runners to come home, capping the decisive inning for the Tornadoes. Yelm's Anderson did not allow a runner past second base in a three-hit effort that included seven strikeouts and no walks.