Ticket punched: These South Sound softball teams clinched state tournament berths
Punch those tickets!
With district tournaments in full swing, these South Sound softball teams have clinched state berths in WIAA brackets from May 22-24:
4A
GRAHAM-KAPOWSIN EAGLES (18-5)
District win: Graham-Kapowsin 13, Emerald Ridge 4 (quarterfinals)
Recap: Jessika Jennings struck out 15 batters and belted home runs in back-to-back innings to carry Graham-Kapowsin through Friday’s district quarterfinal, a win that clinches their first state berth in 18 years. The senior right-hander defused a talented Emerald Ridge lineup over seven strong innings (6 H, 4 ER, 6 BB, 15 K) and went 3-for-3 at the plate with two runs scored, two home runs, and four RBI. Brooklyn Pettit, Izzy Vargas, and Macee Matison added home runs.
Team breakdown: The Eagles are soaring back to the state tournament for the first time since 2007. Jennings, a UMass Lowell commit, has emerged as a premier dual-threat for the 4A SPSL runners-up, pacing Graham-Kapowsin in OPS (1.519) and RBI (48) with an 11-3 record and 1.66 ERA (162 K) in the circle this spring. She joins Pettit, Vargas, Matison, and MaKena Rodgers in an intimidating lineup averaging more than 10 runs per game.
Quality wins: Olympia (2-0), Sumner (2-0), Bonney Lake (2-0), Yelm (1-1), Puyallup, Stadium, Auburn Riverside
TAHOMA BEARS (21-2)
District win: Tahoma 8, Olympia 4 (quarterfinals)
Recap: Sophomore standout Alexa Ramirez struck out 11 batters, Lily Tausch launched a first-inning homer, and the Bears took down Olympia, 8-4, to enter the state tournament for the first time since 2019. Ramirez added 18 total strikeouts to her season total (182) in Friday’s doubleheader to crack the state’s Top 10 leaderboard, per MaxPreps (8th). Tahoma plated five runs in the fifth inning and seven Bears recorded an RBI; Ramirez and 3B Kalani Higa went 2-for-4.
Team breakdown: Make it 19 wins in a row for the undefeated 4A NPSL champions (14-0). Leadoff center fielder Mia Hammington tormented NPSL pitching this spring, a complete hitter with the league’s top batting average (.631) along with nine home runs and 38 RBI. Ramirez is Tahoma’s locked-in ace who broke her own school single-season strikeout record with a 12-1 record and 0.89 ERA.
Quotable: “(Alexa’s) control of the strike zone… She walks, like, one batter every eight or 10 innings,” head coach Darren Rawie said. “She spots the ball very well and uses all of her pitches.”
Quality wins: Auburn Riverside (2-0), Kentridge (2-0), Stadium (2-0), Skyline, Enumclaw
YELM TORNADOS (13-10)
District win: Yelm 7, Rogers 2 (quarterfinals)
Recap: Upset! Senior Austin Hitchner threw a complete game and the Tornados piled three-run second and fifth innings to knock off SPSL-rival Rogers in Friday’s district quarterfinals. The William Penn University commit shut down the Rams over seven strong, navigating eight hits for two runs (one earned) with two walks and 10 strikeouts. Tornados catcher Layah Hicks went 3-for-4 and Hitchner added two RBI at the plate. No. 11 Yelm took down No. 6 Kentridge and No. 3 Rogers in Friday’s doubleheader to punch their state tickets.
Team breakdown: Yelm finished sixth in a loaded 4A SPSL, but they’re now guaranteed a top-four district finish or better. Look out for leadoff 3B Paityn Powell, Yelm’s home run leader (7) with a 1.288 OPS. Hitchner (3.75 ERA) and Mallory Hoke (4.03 ERA) have combined to throw more than 80 percent of Yelm’s innings this season.
Quality wins: Rogers (1-1), Kentridge, Timberline, Bonney Lake, Graham-Kapowsin, Olympia
EMERALD RIDGE JAGUARS (18-8)
District win: Emerald Ridge 8, Puyallup 2 (winner-to-state, loser-out)
Recap: Alanna Wirtala struck out 13 and threw a two-run complete game to carry the reigning 4A runners-up back to state on Saturday. OF Ava Puttler hit a two-run homer and Wirtala delivered an RBI single in the first inning before Emerald Ridge added five more in the sixth.
ROGERS RAMS (20-4)
District win: Rogers 15, Olympia 0 (winner-to-state, loser-out)
Recap: Freshman pitcher Sierra Murray tossed a four-inning shutout (3 H, 1 BB, 7 K) and Madison Adiar hit a grand slam, part of an eight-run third inning that clinched a state berth Saturday.
3A
ENUMCLAW HORNETS (19-2)
District win: Enumclaw 11, Peninsula 1 (quarterfinals)
Recap: Alyssa Neal’s walk-off, inside-the-park home run lifted Enumclaw over the 10-run limit in Thursday’s fifth inning and pushed the Hornets back into the state bracket. Leadoff shortstop Nadia Flaherty went 4-for-4 with three RBI and three runs; Neal went 3-for-5 with a home run and two doubles with five RBI. Top arm Alyssa Harris threw a pair of complete games over Heritage (15 K) and Peninsula (10 K) in Thursday’s doubleheader.
Team breakdown: Make it 17 wins in a row! Enumclaw joined the 3A NPSL and made themselves at home, rolling over new rivals en route to an undefeated league title (16-0). Harris eclipsed the 200-strikeout mark in Thursday’s win over Peninsula and sparkled across the regular season, posting a 9-1 record and 1.52 ERA. Junior outfielder Ava Lim leads the Hornets in batting average (.600) and on-base percentage (.658).
Quotable: “Our home runs should be accidents,” head coach Quinn Haney said, “because we are focusing on what the situation (needs) and hitting the ball hard on a line.”
Quality wins: Auburn Mountainview (2-0), White River (2-0), Lake Stevens, Gig Harbor
GIG HARBOR TIDES (18-4)
District win: Gig Harbor 12, Central Kitsap 7 (quarterfinals)
Recap: Payton Cantrell homered in a nine-run fourth inning, and seven Tides drove in runs to push Gig Harbor back into the state tournament. Piper Harrison delivered three hits (two doubles) and Danielle Biehl threw a complete game Thursday, allowing two earned runs and striking out 10.
Team breakdown: A team effort across the Narrows, Gig Harbor has 10 players with at least 14 RBI and a .340 batting average. Biehl leads the pack (.667, 24 RBI) and sports a 9-1 record with a 3.50 ERA in 58 innings pitched this season. The Tides won 10 straight games from April 2 to May 2.
Quality wins: Central Kitsap (3-1), Decatur, Stadium, North Thurston
TIMBERLINE BLAZERS (17-5)
District win: Timberline 3, Auburn Mountainview 2 (quarterfinals)
Recap: With the tying run at third base (and go-ahead run at first), Nevaeh Haagen entered the circle and induced the game-winning popout for Thursday’s nail-biting save. Porsha Miller’s two-run double sparked Timberline’s offense in the second inning and Haagen blasted a leadoff homer in the third. Blazers starter Madelyn Gilmore was sensational, allowing three hits and two runs (none earned) with three walks and 10 strikeouts across 6.2 frames.
Team breakdown: Haagen crushed softballs all spring, the 3A PSL Nisqually leader in batting average (.697), slugging percentage (1.424), home runs (10), and RBI (51). Gilmore is emerging as Timberline’s dual-threat freshman with a 1.91 ERA in the circle and .316/.451/.544 slash line at the plate. Eight qualified Blazers are batting over .300.
Quality wins: Gig Harbor (2-0), Peninsula (2-0), River Ridge (1-1), Central Kitsap, Silas, Tumwater
PENINSULA SEAHAWKS (16-8)
District win: Peninsula 10, Auburn Mountainview 8 (fifth-place game)
Recap: The Seahawks rallied from an early 6-1 deficit to steal a state berth from Auburn Mountainview on Saturday (the Lions would punch their tickets in the final round). Katelyn Lea and Izzy Michaels hit home runs and Meghan Webster threw 6.1 strong relief innings (2 ER).
AUBURN MOUNTAINVIEW LIONS (19-7)
District win: Auburn Mountainview 16, White River 5 (winner-to-state, loser-out)
Recap: Brynna Erdmann (4-for-5) plated four runs on four hits to power the Lions over White River in Saturday’s elimination game. Tied at four, Addy Thibeault-Miranda’s RBI single sparked a seven-run third inning.
2A
TUMWATER THUNDERBIRDS (18-3)
District win: Tumwater 8, W.F. West 2 (semifinals)
Recap: Ella Ferguson threw a complete-game two-hitter and drove in three runs to propel the reigning 2A runner-up back to state. The Sacramento State signee struck out 16 across seven impressive frames (2 H, 2 ER) and padded Thursday’s early lead with a two-run single in the second inning. T-Birds catcher Jaime Haase went 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBI.
Team breakdown: Ferguson and left-hander Sarah Stevens form an intimidating pitching duo, combining for all of Tumwater’s innings pitched (132) this season with a 2.12 ERA and 177 strikeouts. Haase is the primary run creator (6 HR, 41 RBI) and Ferguson sports a .488/.523/.951 slash line at the plate. Thursday’s win over rival W.F. West marked Tumwater’s sixth in a row.
Quality wins: W.F. West (3-1), Aberdeen (2-1), River Ridge, Montesano, Seattle Christian
FRANKLIN PIERCE CARDINALS (16-2)
District win: Franklin Pierce 8, Fife 1 (winner-to-state, loser-out)
Recap: Kiley Sledge hit a two-run homer (1-for-3, 2 RBI) and delivered three shutout relief innings (1 H, 3 BB, 4 K) to earn the save in Saturday’s must-win game. Cardinals starter Leila Kennach threw four strong frames (4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K) and doubled at the plate.
This story was originally published May 15, 2025 at 4:48 PM.
