![Layla Hill [15] and Mia Naval [11] await the next pitch against North Thurston on March 14.](/uploads/original/20250318-144319-1a8-250320RainierFastpitch3.jpg)
The Rainier High School softball team fell to North Thurston 7-1 in their de facto season opener on Friday, March 14. The Mountaineers were scheduled to begin their season on March 12 at Cascade Christian School, but rainy conditions led to a cancellation.
Sophomore ace Ryleigh Cruse guided the home-team Mountaineers through the rocky second-inning that included multiple errors and six allowed runs. Cruse finished with three strikeouts and seven allowed runs in four innings, before giving way to Elaina Henry at the top of the fifth. The Mountaineers kept the Rams scoreless for the remainder of the contest, but the quick six-run deficit proved too much to overcome.
Despite the final score, head coach Katie Qualls said she was proud of her team’s ability to deal with early adversity.
“I was trying my hardest not to go out there and talk to them because I wanted to see how they handled it,” Qualls said. “It’s a very new group of kids. This is their first time playing in a game together. So, I wanted to see how the more experienced kids handled it with the newcomers, and I thought they did a pretty good job. Their spirits stayed up.”
Elaina Henry, who started the game at shortstop, scored the Mountaineers’ lone run off an RBI single from freshman Gracie Lantz in the second inning.
Henry went on to strike out five batters — while giving up no hits — in her first relief action of the season. In fact, it was her first time pitching for the Mountaineers. Both Henry and Qualls credited senior catcher Keira Anderson for providing a positive presence behind the plate.
“Keira is such a special catcher and person in general,” Qualls said. “It’s like a silent communication. She just leads by example.”
“She’s a really nice catcher,” Henry added, while praising Anderson’s ability to frame pitches. “It’s really nice to pitch to someone who has a lot of skill.”
Offensive ineffectiveness plagued the Mountaineers throughout, despite a number of chances to chip away at the Ram’s lead, including a stymied two-out rally with bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh. They ended the game with just three hits.
Qualls said the missed opportunities were part of her post-game message to the team.
“We had a lot of baserunners. We just could not score,” Qualls said.
It’s a trend Qualls believes started at the end of last season and continued into the district tournament.
“That’s a focus, and if everyone’s consistently getting base hits, you’re not going to leave anybody on base,” Qualls said. “So, it’s just a repetition thing, I think, now that they’ve seen it in action and the result of it.”
Going forward, Henry hopes to see more aggressiveness and timely hits on offense, along with improved communication on defense.
“I think our defense could have been better if we communicated more with the outfield so they were ready for balls to come their way.”
Sophomore pitcher Paige Guyer led the way for the North Thurston Rams, striking out nine while allowing just one run in seven innings. She also contributed two hits and two RBIs in four at-bats. Isabella Haagen and Saidee Trolson each added two hits for the Rams, who finished with 10 total.
The Mountaineers (0-1, 0-0 Central 2B League) now look ahead to five straight games on the road, with stops at 2B Central foes Toledo, Toutle Lake, Napavine and Onalaska. They return home to face Mossyrock on Monday, March 31.
