Email This   Larger Font      Print This   Smaller Font Advertisement   4A softball Champion: Mountain View beat Battle Ground 5-1 to claim its second consecutive district title. Second seed: Evergreen beat Skyview to stay alive, then topped Battle Ground 3-2 in the second-place game. Next: Mountain View has clinched a berth to state, which will be played May 23-24 in Tacoma. Evergreen has a one-game playoff May 17, with a berth to state on the line. Mountain View catcher Jessica Guy tags Battle Ground’s Ashley Trump out at home plate during the third inning Wednesday.

Thursday, May 08, 2008
By Paul Valencia Columbian Staff Writer

It’s softball.

It’s May.

It’s Mountain View.

Just call these times the May Days of Thunder.

A year ago, Mountain View was the fourth seed coming into the Class 4A District 4 softball tournament, then won three games in a row to win the championship.

This year, the third-seeded Thunder rolled to three wins again, claiming their second consecutive district title.

“All the games we lost (in the regular season) were from mental errors and stuff,” senior Kendra Suhr said. “Because we know it counts now, we knew we would be focused.”

Paige Martin drove in two runs, Suhr struck out five in four innings of work, and Kelly Lowe rang up four more Ks in three innings of hitless relief as the Thunder tossed away Battle Ground 5-1 in the championship game Wednesday at Heritage High School.

The Thunder beat their three opponents in the two-day tournament by a combined score of 23-6. Mountain View, which finished second at the Class 4A state tournament last year, qualified for state again this year with the district championship.

Evergreen, meanwhile, ended up as the district’s No. 2 seed, holding off Battle Ground 3-2. The Plainsmen will play a one-game playoff against a team from District 2 on May 17 for the opportunity to join the Thunder at state.

Battle Ground scored first in the title game on Cami Langdon’s run-scoring single in the second inning.

Martin responded with a run-scoring double in the fourth inning to tie the game. In the fifth, she drove in a run with a single, giving the Thunder a 5-1 advantage.

“I think we just really show when it counts,” Martin said with a smile. “It means a lot to prove to everyone that it wasn’t just a one-time thing.”

Last year, as a freshman, she missed district and state because of a broken hand.

“It feels good because I actually got to contribute and help the team out,” she said. “It was just a lot of fun.”

Pinch hitter Paige Fritzke drove in what turned out to be the winning run, executing her bunt on a suicide squeeze. Martin slid in under the tag for a 2-1 lead in the fourth.

“I was really confident, but it was still scary,” Fritzke said.

Battle Ground, which has one of the toughest lineups in the district, was held to two hits by Suhr, then none by Lowe. Suhr said she changed her strategy against the Tigers after facing them three times during the regular season.

“They know what I’m throwing, so I threw stuff I usually don’t throw,” she said.

Such as?

“I’m not giving away my secrets,” she said.

Suhr said bringing in Lowe to pitch in the fifth inning was the right move.

“Kelly has lots of movement (on her pitches). They’re slower than mine, but they move a lot more,” Suhr said. “It mixes it up.”

Jessica Guy, Suhr, and Amanda Livingston opened the fifth inning with consecutive singles, and all three eventually scored.

Next up for the Thunder is a return trip to state.

“The goal is a given,” Suhr said. “What would be our goal besides first in state? You gotta aim for the highest.”

For Evergreen coach Bob Dean, anything after the regular-season league title the Plainsmen won is gravy.

“We were picked to be last,” he said, noting that he was not offended at all by the prediction because his program returned only four players with any varsity experience.

“Winning league was huge for us,” he said. “It’s been a great season. What can I say? I don’t even understand.”

Then he just smiled, remembering that Evergreen’s season is not over, not after beating Skyview 4-3, then topping Battle Ground 3-2 for the No. 2 seed.

Michelle Crumbaker had a run-scoring single in the third inning against the Tigers, then Brittany Dorn and Amber Berry made good on squeeze bunts to make it 3-0 in the fourth.

Battle Ground’s Erica Sturm hit a two-run double in the bottom of the seventh inning, but Evergreen got a double play after a Battle Ground base-running miscue to end the game.

Evergreen pitcher Shannon Miller retired eight consecutive batters at one stretch and gave up one earned run in the victory.