Adna and Napavine were locked in a back-and-forth battle on Thursday in Napavine, but 12 runs over the final two innings helped the Pirates pull away for a convincing 16-5 victory.
Adna led 4-3 after three, but Napavine scored in both the fourth and fifth to take a 5-4 lead going into the sixth.
An RBI single from Avery LaFontaine tied the game at five, Adna took the lead on an error one batter later, and three straight base hits from Alyssa Carroll, Khloe Hunt, and Charlie Myers brought home four more runs to make it 10-6 Pirates.
All six of the Pirates' runs in the sixth came with two outs.
“The margin against good teams is small,” Napavine coach Josh Fay said. “We kick a ball, and that just opened the door. We just struggled to get out after that … We’ve got to finish things.”
In the seventh, Hadleigh Gerard and Alyson Terry hit back-to-back RBI singles, and Carroll drilled a three-run home run to put the Pirates ahead by 10. Two batters later, Myers put the finishing touches on the rally with a solo home run of her own.
Carroll finished with four runs batted in, Hunt and Myers both drove in three, and Tieander Olson also hit a home run in the victory and finished with a pair of RBIs.
“They hit the ball really well,” Fay said of the Pirates. “They had some good at-bats.”
Myers also pitched all seven innings, striking out 10 and walking five while giving up seven hits and five runs (four earned).
Dakota Lyons hit a home run and drove in two to lead the Napavine offense, while Macie Brevard added a hit and two RBIs of her own. Tarynn Dalebout also collected a hit and drove in a run.
Adna (8-1, 2-0 C2BL) will head to Pe Ell to face Pe Ell/Willapa Valley on Saturday, while Napavine (8-2, 1-1 C2BL) will host Tenino on Tuesday.
“It’s not doom and gloom,” Fay said. “For five and two-thirds, we played really well. I wish we would’ve competed a little better in that seventh, but it’s tough to do that … I was really proud of where we were at and what we were doing. It’s a tough one to swallow. But we’re gonna bounce back, and we’re gonna get better.”
