Behind another strong Kimball outing, Peninsula wins 3A bidistrict title over Bonney Lake, 5-2

Alli Kimball’s weekend had been all but perfect.

She no-hit Thomas Jefferson and Prairie to drive top-seeded Peninsula High School to the 3A District 3/4 softball championship game.

Once there, she allowed a third-seeded Bonney Lake team to hit only two balls out of the infield during her first five and one-third innings of work on a day she would finish with 13 strikeouts.

But the Panthers are a veteran post-season contender, winning multiple games in the last three state tournaments, including the 2018 championship. Neither Kimball or Peninsula coach Mike Paul thought Bonney Lake would go down without a fight.

“We both came in knowing we were going to put up a great game, Peninsula coach Mike Paul said. “I told them it would come down to one run at the end of the game. That team there is going to go far at state.”

Sure enough, in that sixth inning, with Peninsula in front 5-0, the Panthers’ number nine hitter, Ayrianna Pollard, bombed a home run over the center field fence and leadoff hitter Lauryn Lee followed with a shot over the right field section of the orange plastic temporary fencing at the Regional Athletic Complex.

“I came into this game knowing they were a team that would hit and put the ball in play,” Kimball said. “I was not surprised one bit that they were able to time it up.”

A mound visit by Paul helped Kimball refocus and get out of the inning.

In its last gasp, the top of the seventh, Bonney Lake (18-3) got back to back singles by Bella Jones and Alissa Hermansen with two outs to bring the tying run to the plate.

The situation didn’t bring any special anxiety to Paul. He was already worried.

“I got nervous before the first pitch,” he said.

But, on a 1-1 pitch, Jadyn Johnson popped up and the Seahawks were headed to next week’s 3A state tournament – also at the RAC – carrying the biggest district trophy after a 5-2 win. Peninsula had a run of state appearances in the early ‘10s, but hasn’t been since 2013.

“I could feel myself losing a little bit of my speed,” Kimball said. “I told myself that I had to push through for my team. I was nervous, but I knew if I could keep within my own bubble and throw strikes my defense would be there for me, which they were the whole game.”

“Alli was gutty,” Paul said. “She came in here tired at the end of a long day. The team had her back and she did it for us.”

Given the championship setting and the opposition, he found Kimball’s performance more impressive that the earlier no hitters.

“Against that team? They’ve got nine hitters who are legit. One through nine, that’s as good a team as we’ll face,” he said.

Peninsula (20-1) set the tone for its eventual victory right from the start.

Kimball struck out the first two batters in a three-up, three-down top of the first.

In the bottom of the inning, leadoff batter Aislinn O’Reilly hit the first pitch Bonney Lake pitcher Bella Carazo threw on a line into centerfield for a single. A wild pitch sent her to second. She scored on a single down the left field line by Malia Coit.

The Seahawks extended their lead to 3-0 in the fourth when Hailey Ruckle scored Ava Miranda from third with a perfect squeeze bunt out in front of the plate and Mira Sonnen later scored on a Panthers’ error,

In the fifth, Glory Estabrook line a single to center and Payton Davis reached on an error. Both scored when Miranda blasted a deep fly ball double into the right centerfield gap.

The bracket for next week’s state tournament hasn’t been seeded yet, but Paul likes his chances.

“The quality of people, the quality of these kids is amazing,” he said.

Kimball agrees with her coach’s assessment of her teammates.

“I’m ecstatic going into state,” she said. “I’m excited about the way this team competes.”