Hoyt’s complete game, Peterson’s 5 RBI lift Peninsula to district softball title
When preseason softball practices began two months ago, Peninsula head coach Mike Paul told The News Tribune that this year’s team — not his 3A state title team in 2023 — was perhaps his most talented yet.
Right or wrong, the Seahawks are making their case.
That much was clear Saturday night, when Peninsula soared to an eight-run lead over PSL Nisqually-rival Timberline in the Class 3A District 3 championship game at Lacey’s Regional Athletic Complex. They’re bringing the first-place trophy back across the Narrows, but not before filming a triumphant TikTok at home plate.
“You saw them,” Paul smiled. “One through nine, tough. Bring in a 10th, 11th, 12th, it didn’t matter. … It’s unbelievable.
“We’re so blessed and so talented. It is a lot of fun.”
Leadoff center fielder McKenna Peterson went 3-for-4 with a season-high five RBI, freshman right-hander Abby Hoyt threw a complete game, and the Seahawks beat league-rival Timberline, 9-5, to claim the district title in style.
It’s the type of win that validates everything Paul envisioned.
“I’ve just never had a group like this,” he said Saturday. “They’re so tight. They’re so fantastic. It meant everything (to win a district title). To be able to play Timberline, a class, class team, and be able to compete with them and pull out a win is fantastic.”
When Hoyt exited Saturday afternoon’s semifinal with cramps after just two innings, Paul asked his top arm if she wanted the ball hours later in the championship.
Hoyt wasn’t going to say no.
“It’s surreal,” she said. “Where we started and how far we’ve come, I’m just so proud.”
Peninsula grabbed an early, 2-0 lead with a pair of runs in the second inning. Asanti Perez’s fielder’s choice groundout scored Meghan Webster from third base before Peterson singled home Paige Jones.
Peterson blew the game open with a two-run double in the fourth. Berlin Lyman later scored on a wild pitch and Hoyt followed with an RBI fielder’s choice, capping a four-run fourth inning: Peninsula 6, Timberline 1.
“Just hitting for my team and not for myself,” Peterson said. “Middle, middle, middle.”
When Peninsula loaded the bases on talented Timberline righty Nevaeh Haagen in the fifth, Perez and Peterson recorded back-to-back RBI doubles, ballooning the lead to 9-1. The Seahawks nearly walked off the Blazers via 10-run mercy rule, but Haagen induced a swinging strikeout to escape the jam.
“(Nevaeh’s) tough,” Paul said. “I wish she was graduating this year, because she’s going to be back next year and she’ll be really angry at us, for sure.”
Timberline’s three-run rally in the sixth was too little, too late as Hoyt went the distance, allowing eight hits and five runs (four earned) with two walks and two strikeouts. She worked ahead with a well-located fastball and mixed speeds with a quality changeup, retiring her first eight batters in order.
Peninsula’s Vivien Sweet went 2-for-3 with a walk, and Jones finished 2-for-4 with two runs.
The Seahawks (20-3) dropped both regular-season matchups to Timberline this spring — then toppled their rival in the game that mattered most.
Could it be the start of something special in Purdy? Of eight Seahawks to collect 10+ RBI this season, three are freshmen and three more are sophomores.
Lacey’s Regional Athletic Complex plays host to the Class 3A state tournament from May 21-23, and Paul’s Seahawks certainly have the pieces for a deep run.
But first? Celebratory ice cream.
“All of these kids, everyone that you see walk up there, they’re on-ball,” Paul said. “These kids have worked really hard to be here, and it’s super fun. It’s a fun ride.”
GRAHAM-KAPOWSIN, TAHOMA CLINCH 4A STATE BERTHS
Heavy rain derailed the opening round of the Class 4A District 3/4 bracket on Friday, forcing the tournament to determine six state allocations on Saturday without a championship game:
No. 1 Graham-Kapowsin — Brooklyn Pettit’s third no-hitter of the season punched the Eagles’ state ticket in Saturday’s 9-0 win over Bonney Lake.
No. 2 Tahoma — Alexa Ramirez struck out 14 with a complete-game effort in Saturday’s 6-2 win over Yelm.
No. 3 Rogers — The defending 4A runners-up exploded for 15 runs in the first inning and cruised past Skyview, 18-0, to return to the state bracket.
No. 4 Puyallup — Jaycee Kemp struck out 10 and the Vikings beat Auburn Riverside in five innings, 11-1, via mercy rule.
No. 7 Bonney Lake — Gigi Bell hit two home runs and tossed a six-inning complete game (4 ER, 5 K) to clinch a state berth over Auburn Riverside, 19-7.
No. 11 Skyview — The defending state champions pounced for eight runs in the first inning to outlast Yelm, 17-3.
This story was originally published May 17, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
