When Addison Merkel stepped to the plate to lead off the bottom of the sixth, Toledo had all of the momentum.
Pe Ell-Willapa Valley led by four runs after four innings, but the Riverhawks rallied to tie it in the fifth before taking the lead in the sixth.
Merkel didn’t need long to tie it right back up.
The junior took the first pitch she saw over the center field fence, kickstarting a six-run sixth that led the Titans to an 11-6 victory, one that put them through to the state tournament.
“It was huge,” Pe Ell-Willapa Valley coach Eric Hopfer said. “For her to come in and just be disciplined, laying off that high pitch and finding hers, it was big for her. She did a great job to turn the game around.”
After Merkel’s homer, each of the next two Titans (17-6) reached base, and Karli Phelps gave them the lead with an RBI single.
Insurance came across just as quickly, as Tylar Keeton hit an RBI double and Sophia Milanowksi followed with a two-run double. Two batters later, CJ Sipp brought home the sixth and final run with an RBI single of her own.
“I’ve been kinda waiting for them to just open up the gates and start hitting,” Hopfer said. “They just loosened up and started hitting the ball.”
Matlock, Sipp, and Jillian Hodel collected two hits each, and Hodel drove in three. Phelps also drove in three, as she collected three hits, including two doubles.
Lauren Emery shined on the mound, giving up just five hits and two earned runs while striking out nine.
The Titans are no stranger to Yakima, as they haven’t missed the state tournament since merging programs, and they won it all just two years ago.
Hopfer says that at times this season, the weight and pressure of not being the first PWV team to make it to state weighed on this group, a roster made up of ten underclassmen.
“They needed to grow to know that they deserve to be in Yakima,” Hopfer said. “They are good enough to do that. I think that’s been the majority of our battle throughout the year.”
After defeating Toledo, the Titans fell to Ocosta 2-0 in the third-place game. Phelps tallied another two hits, both doubles, and Emery struck out 11 and allowed just the two runs.
The Titans will learn their seed and first-round matchup on Sunday, and the 2B State Softball Tournament is set for May 24 and 25 at the Gateway Sports Complex in Yakima.
