Woodland softball to the state finals
RICHLAND — Emma Pilkington hit a home run, Emily Tesdale had three hits, and Makayla Lefever was awesome again in the pitching circle, leading the Woodland Beavers to the Class 1A state softball championship game.
Lefever struck out 11 and did not give up an earned run Saturday morning in Woodland’s 5-1 victory over Lakeside of Nine Mile Falls. The victory sends the Beavers to the title game against Connell at 2:30 p.m.
“It’s just awesome to be able to experience this,” said Tesdale, a senior. “We won state when I was a freshman. To be able to come back is a great feeling.”
The seniors are leading the charge, too.
Karlee Dyson, Pilkington, Tesdale, and Lefever all hit home runs in Woodland’s opening round game Friday. Pilkington went deep again Saturday, a two-run shot in the bottom of the sixth to give the Beavers a four-run cushion.
“At first, I thought, ‘That’s gotta be an out,” Pilkington said.
The ball kept carrying, though.
“I heard everybody cheering,” she said. “I knew it had to be something good.”
Like Tesdale, Pilkington said she is just trying to enjoy the final day as a high school softball player.
“I didn’t think I’d go out like this,” Pilkington said. “This feels really good.”
Tesdale’s two-out double in the first inning scored Pilkington to give the Beavers the early lead. Woodland got two more in the fifth inning when Lefever and Kendall Grell were hit by pitches with the bases loaded.
Lakeside would take advantage of back-to-back Woodland errors to score a run in the top of the sixth. But Pilkington’s blast in the bottom of the inning ended any Lakeside momentum.
Woodland improved to 25-1 with their 25th consecutive win. The Beavers hope to make it 26 in a row to win a state championship in a few hours.
— Paul Valencia, 11 a.m.
Semifinals
WOODLAND 5, LAKESIDE 1
Lakeside 000 001 0—1 3 0
Woodland 100 022 x—5 10 2
Lakeside
Pitcher — Nikki Tiffany 6 IP, loss, 4 Ks. Highlights — Miranda Brittos 1-3; Madi Naccarato 1-3; Taylor Sheldon 1-3, RBI.
Woodland
Pitcher — Makayla Lefever 7 IP, win, 11 Ks, 0 ER. Highlights — Emma Pilkington 2-4, HR, 2 RBI; Emily Tesdale 3-3, 2 2Bs, RBI; Karlee Dyson 1-3; Lefever 1-2, RBI; Madison Sorensen 1-4; Jessica Flanagan 1-4; Kendall Grell 0-2, RBI; Haylee Michaud 1-3.
