This time last spring, Tumwater was in the same spot it found itself in on Friday — in an elimination game with a state tournament berth on the line.
Last season, the Thunderbirds were shut out in that game, and they missed out on the state tournament. This time around, they made sure to avoid the same fate.
“We knew what defeat tasted like,” Tumwater coach Ashley Lupinski said. “And we didn’t want to taste that again.
Tumwater scored three in the first and never let up against Mark Morris, scoring 14 runs in just five innings to defeat the Monarchs 14-1 and return to the state tournament.
“We talked about being on the offensive,” Lupinski said. “They did that.”
Ella Ferguson helped herself before she even threw a pitch by opening the scoring with an RBI single in the top of the first, and Jamie Haase brought her home by hitting her 11th home run of the season to make it 11-0.
The Thunderbirds added on with six in the second, and all six runs came with two outs.
Haase brought home another with an RBI single, and Sarah Stevens brought her around with a two-run home run of her own.
Marrisa La Praim followed with her first home run of the season, one day after delivering a game-tying two-run single in Tumwater’s semifinal matchup against Aberdeen.
Avery Sugg capped the rally with another RBI single, but the Thunderbirds (18-5) weren’t done yet.
Two more came across on an error in the third, and Zoe Fields brought home another pair with a double later in the inning.
Just two and a half innings in, Tumwater led 13-1. Another Fields RBI in the fifth made it 14.
“We knew what that pitcher threw,” Lupinski said. “We laid off the high (pitches), hit our strikes, and I thought we did a great job.”
La Praim finished 3 for 4 with her home run and also scored a second run, while Haase finished 3 for 3 with four runs batted in, including her two-run shot.
“She can get behind in a count, and it doesn’t matter,” Lupinski said. “With her up to bat, anything can always happen.”
Ferguson went 2 for 2 with her RBI in the first, and she scored twice.
The Monarchs got one back against Ferguson in the circle in the bottom of the first with a solo home run, but outside of that, she was locked in.
She didn’t allow another hit, struck out 12, and retired the final 11 batters she faced.
After the final out was recorded, she was right in the middle of the Tumwater celebration in the middle of the infield.
The T-Birds will now wait for Sunday, when they’ll find out their seed and first-round matchup at the state tournament, which is set for May 24 and 25 at Carlon Park in Selah.
