SELAH — Not even an hour after losing in the Class 2A state quarterfinals, the Ridgefield High School softball team stared at a 7-1 deficit to Deer Park in an elimination game.
Slowly, but surely, the Spudders started to chip away. Until they came all the way back.
Seven runs in the top of the fifth allowed the No. 7 seed in the tournament to stun the No. 4 seeded Stags 13-11 in their final game on Friday to advance to day two at Carlon Park in Selah.
Ridgefield put up 16 hits – six of them for extra bases – that sets it up with a date against another top-four seed, No. 3 Port Angeles, in another elimination game on Saturday morning. The Spudders are two wins away from leaving with a trophy.
A leadoff double and back-to-back hit by pitches loaded the bases for the Spudders (23-6), then two straight RBI singles from Tava Whitlow and Gracie Olmos set up Bailey Wolski’s bases-clearing double to put them in front for good.
Faith Smith capped the explosive frame with a two-run shot to right field. Deer Park only scored a run on a Spudders double play in the sixth and Smith struck out the tying run at the plate to preserve the win.
Madeline Bruguier went 4-for-4 at the plate while Smith, Wolski and Olmos all recorded multiple RBIs. The Ridgefield lineup didn’t strike out once in 32 at-bats versus Deer Park.
Abbey Hite recorded the lone run in the quarters versus the Bearcats, launching a solo home run in the top of the fourth to avoid the shutout. Ridgefield allowed three runs in the bottom of the second, all with two outs and caused by four errors.
The first game of the day for the Spudders was beating Selah 9-3 in the Round 16. They jumped out to a 7-0 cushion with three in the first, two in the third and one run each in the second and fourth.
Wolski ended the game with four hits and a pair of RBIs while Hite went deep on a three-hit day. Whitlow notched a triple and two stolen bases and Smith struck out 10 Vikings in the circle plus worked around eight hits.
