Riverhawks top Titans to return to state semifinals
May 23-Box Score
At Gateway Sports Complex
RIVERHAWKS 6, TITANS 4
Pe Ell/WV 001 000 3 - 4
Toledo 002 130 X - 6
PWV Pitching - Hodel 4 IP, 7 H, 3 R (2 ER), 1 BB, 1 K; Barnum 2 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K. Highlights - Matlock 1-3, HR, 3 RBI, BB, R; Hodel 1-3, RBI, BB.
TOL Pitching - Holter 7 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 9 K. Highlights - Cooper 3-3, 2 RBI, R; Lairson 1-3, 2 RBI, BB, R; Miller 2-4, RBI; Carver 1-2, RBI, BB.
YAKIMA - After giving up a home run in the top of the seventh, Toledo coach Jeff Davis approached the circle after calling timeout, debating on whether or not to take Peyton Holter out of the game with two outs in the seventh.
Less than 30 seconds later, he walked back towards the bench, and Holter remained in the game.
"I kind of just told him I had it," Holter said.
Two batters later, Holter got the game's final out via strikeout to cap No. 2 Toledo's 6-4 win over No. 7 Pe Ell/Willapa Valley in a 2B State Quarterfinal at the Gateway Sports Complex in Yakima.
"She had to convince me to keep her in, and she did," Davis said. "A big change from the Adna game (on April 25), where she got walloped and was basically looking for an escape route. She didn't want that route today."
The Riverhawks entered the seventh up five runs, but a three-run home run from Lauren Matlock got the Titans within two.
"It was a mispitch," Holter said. "I know Lauren (Matlock) is a good hitter. I kind of just missed, but I knew I could keep going ... I just took a deep breath and did what I was doing the rest of the game."
Throughout the rest of the game, Holter was in complete control.
The Titans got to her for a run in the third on an RBI single from Jillian Hodel, but other than that, Holter didn't allow a run until Matlock's homer in the seventh.
Holter ended up allowing four hits and the four runs, walking two and striking out nine across all seven innings.
"I was just trusting my teammates," Holter said. "I know I could look back at them, and they have my back."
After the Titans took the lead, the Riverhawks immediately responded with a pair of runs on a Kailea Lairson two-run single to take the lead. Taysia Miller added an RBI single of her own in the fourth to make it 3-1 before Audrey Cooper and Brenna Carver combined to drive in three runs on two more RBI knocks in the fifth.
"Really proud of these girls," Davis said. "They keep playing hard ... On this stage, there will be a little nerves here and there. But they're relaxed enough to play. They know what it's like."
The win puts Toledo into the state semifinals for the third year in a row. In 2024 and 2025, the Riverhawks upset two teams as a double-digit seed before falling in the semis. Two years ago, they fell short of a trophy, and last year, they posted their best finish in school history by finishing third.
It was their first trophy in softball in school history, according to the WIAA website.
To get to its first state title game, Toledo (20-5) will need to defeat No. 3 Adna, the three-time reigning state champion and a Central 2B League foe, in a semifinal on Saturday morning.
It will be the fourth matchup between the two teams this season. Toledo won two of the first three meetings, including a win in the district semifinals last Friday at Fort Borst Park.
"After how we've lost in the semis two years in a row, I think we're done losing," Holter said. "I think we're ready."
The winner of that semifinal will face either No. 5 Liberty (Spangle) or No. 1 Freeman in the state championship game on Saturday afternoon.
"We got a legitimate shot," Davis said. "Our plan is to try to do better than last year (third place), and that means you're in the championship game. That's our goal, and we'll see what happens. Adna is a tough team. It doesn't get easier when you win, it gets harder. It'll get a little bit harder, and I think they'll be up to the challenge. I'm excited for them."
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