Dylan Wilhelm / For Nisqually Valley News
In Yakima, an emotional Rainier team left the field for the final time this season.
The Mountaineers went 1-2 on Friday, May 22, losing a first-round matchup against Liberty (which had former Mountaineer Jordan Jeske pitching) 8-1 before rebounding with a 13-10 win over Warden to earn the right to face Pe Ell/Willapa Valley (PWV).
“We went in knowing (the second game) was gonna be a challenge,” Rainier coach Katie Qualls said. “Coming back from (the loss) and knowing that the second game was do or die. They were in it, and they were committed to it.”
In the game against Warden, the Mountaineers (14-12) trailed 4-0 and 10-5, but rallied back with an eight-run fourth to take the lead.
In the win, Layla Hill collected three hits, drove in four runs, and scored twice, and Gracie Lantz added two hits and three RBIs. Five other Mountaineers drove in a run in the victory.
“Offense has been a big, big topic over the last couple of weeks for us,” Qualls said. “They worked really hard, and it paid off.”
The offense didn’t have as much success against PWV’s Eliza Barnum in its final game, but Qualls was still proud of the way her group represented Rainier on 2B’s biggest stage.
“Coming here and winning a game for us is an accomplishment beyond anything that we imagined when we walked into this having nine eighth graders and no JV team,” Qualls said. “They worked hard, they deserve this. That one win, I told them, treat it like your own trophy. Be proud of that … You’re top 12. You pretty much did what you set out as the 12 seed to do.”
Qualls and the rest of the Mountaineers showed plenty of emotion postgame, as Hill, the team’s lone senior, received hugs from her teammates after her final game.
“This whole season, from the beginning, she took the reins as the leader, and it was a natural role for her,” Qualls said. “It was a little bit different, being the lone senior compared to years prior. That’s a lot of pressure, and she stepped up to the plate … She’s the shot caller, she loved it, and she did really, really well at it. A lot of the younger kids really looked up to her for it. She set a really good example for them. She’s a hard worker and a good teammate.”
