For Centralia High School’s Hollynn Wakefield, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing pitching against her arch rival from across the swamp.
She came in relief two years ago and earned the save in a 5-3 victory. As the starter in both league matchups last spring, Wakefield allowed 18 total runs and 11 walks. Thirteen of those runs were earned.
To say W.F. West had her number would be an understatement.
“She was different tonight and it showed,” Tigers head coach David Orr said.
Wakefield put together a signature performance against a signature opponent.
The right-hander tossed her first complete game of the season, left nine runners on base and struck out seven in leading Centralia to a 3-2 triumph over W.F. West in the first round of the Swamp Cup at Fort Borst Park on Wednesday afternoon.
It marks the Tigers (4-1, 2-0 EvCo) first win against the Bearcats since the aforementioned two-run win in 2023.
“It feels amazing," Wakefield said. “My team always has my back and I’m grateful to be (with them).”
Wakefield dotted the edges of the corner and mixed her pitches effectively. At times, she forced weak contact and trusted her defense behind her.
In the seventh inning, facing W.F. West’s best part in the lineup of Addie Froschauer, Avalon Myers, Karlee Coleman and Rayah Middleton, the senior only allowed two to reach and left the tying run stranded at third base.
“It was scripted,” Bearcats head coach Kevin Zylstra said. “If they can give me my choice of hitters coming up, I’ll go 2-3-4 every time.”
Wakefield wrote her own ending.
And an infield that went through a small overhaul with key members gone to graduation came up with bang-bang plays to finish the deal and ignite a vibrant celebration.
“We always put together solid players and I have no worries,” Wakefield said. “We all came out pretty confident.”
Centralia piled up 62 total runs in its last three victories. W.F. West unleashed a 26-run output in its league opener.
Wednesday was the exact opposite of a slugfest.
Down 2-0 after three-and-a-half innings, the Tigers snared a little life offensively with a Brooklyn Sprague solo home run. The next two batters reached, then a McKenna Smith bunt turned into an error and the tying run crossed home.
McKenzie Erickson put Centralia ahead with an RBI groundout. It notched just three hits on the day and three walks.
“We adjusted to the rise(ball),” Orr said. “These girls are smart. Every trip into the batter’s box, they learn something.”
Taylor Tobin fired 10 strikeouts for W.F. West (4-3, 1-1) and found similar success on the edges of the strike zone. Still, the sophomore fell behind in some counts and couldn’t dig out of it in key spots.
Coleman recorded two hits, including an RBI double in the first to break the ice. The Bearcats added another run in the second on a Tanner Tobin RBI groundout. They come back from spring break to take on Aberdeen on April 14.
“It doesn't get any easier,” Zylstra said. “Little reboot and go from there. We know what we have to do, we just have to do it.”
Centralia will begin a small two-game road trip out of spring break against Black Hills on April 14. While Orr admitted this group has less speed and more pop, the end goal remains unchanged.
And after missing the playoffs entirely last spring, the Tigers don’t want to chance their fate again.
“As long as we keep our mindset like this and don’t come in with our heads too high, we’re going to go far,” Wakefield said.
