NAPAVINE — Both Napavine coach Josh Fay and Toledo coach Jeff Davis know that there’s only so much you can take away from a non-league game in late March. Teams are often finding their identity, figuring out what works best, and some aren’t at full strength.
That didn’t stop Thursday’s matchup between the Tigers and Riverhawks from turning into a back-and-forth, extra-inning battle.
“It’s about as close to a district tournament game, or even a state tournament game, as you’re gonna get,” Fay said.
It was Fay and the Tigers who walked away victorious, as Taylen Evander drilled a walk-off two-run double to center field, giving Napavine a 9-8 victory. The Tigers have now won four in a row to open the season.
Evander came up to the plate with the bases loaded and no one out, and after quickly falling behind 0-2, she fouled off four straight pitches before getting a hold of the game-winner. In her previous at-bat, Evander fouled off three pitches, and in the one before that, she fouled off four.
“She’s got a lot better as a hitter,” Evander said. “Just battling and spoiling some pitches that she knows she probably isn’t gonna be able to do anything with other than foul them off. To get two strikes and continue to do that, it’s a challenge.”
Evander’s hit capped a three-run bottom of the eighth, one that was necessary after Toledo plated two runs on a single from Camryn Hurley in the top half.
The back-and-forth in the final frame was a mirror image of the game’s later innings, when the game shifted from a pitcher’s duel to an offensive shutout.
Through four innings, Napavine’s Dakota Lyons and Toledo’s Brenna Carver were outstanding in the circle, and the Tigers led just 1-0.
Toledo took the lead with two runs in the top of the fifth, but Napavine responded with five in the bottom half to go up 6-2. The Riverhawks didn’t waver, though, striking back with four in the sixth to tie the game at six.
“We are very resilient,” Toledo coach Jeff Davis said. “We’re not gonna quit until the game’s over. We battled.”
Toledo was held scoreless in the top of the seventh, and the Tigers didn’t score in either the sixth or seventh, setting up the eighth inning.
Before Evander stepped to the plate, each of the four Tigers to come to the plate reached base, including eighth-grader Macie Brevard and freshman Tarynn Dalebout.
“That’s a bunch of underclassmen getting it done,” Fay said. “So it’s really neat to see that.”
Junior Payton Wheeler also walked in the frame, as did Lyons.
In addition to Evander, Hayden Kaut also drove in two runs, while Lyons, Hannah Fay, Clara Fay, and Makayla Brett added an RBI each.
“The highs and lows (of a game), it can be tough,” Josh Fay said. “Really proud of those guys.”
Hurley finished 2 for 5 with three RBIs, Peyton Holter added two extra-base hits and an RBI of her own, and Kailea Lairson added two hits and an RBI. Audrey Cooper also tallied two hits and scored a pair of runs.
“I thought it was a good game for a neutral fan, and better for a Napavine fan today,” Davis said. “They’re a good team, and we’ll see each other again … Both teams are gonna get better. I expect another battle next time we see them, and if we see them in the postseason, I expect the same thing.”
Josh Fay echoed a similar sentiment, and he added that he’s pleased with where his group is at this stage of the season.
“This is a good group,” he said. “We like what we got. These kids feel like they’ve got something to prove, so we’re gonna see if we can do that.”
The Riverhawks (2-1) and Tigers (4-0) are set for their C2BL rematch on April 30 in Toledo, but both teams have plenty of games to worry about before then.
Both teams will be at home on Saturday, when the Tigers host Toutle Lake and the Riverhawks welcome Adna.
