LACEY — When the bats for the Prairie Falcons came alive, it wasn’t in the scenario they had imagined entering Friday’s 3A State Softball Tournament.
Still, Prairie is the only local team left standing in the State Tournament after winning both games in the consolation bracket after losing a heartbreaker in the first round, 5-4 to Glacier Peak in extra innings.
“We were really mad after we lost the first game,” said Prairie’s Jamie Phares, who had two home runs and five RBI combined in both Prairie wins on Friday.
Prairie had the lead in the bottom of the seventh inning, but couldn’t muster up enough outs or get the bats going in the top of the inning to give themselves insurance.
The Falcons led 4-0 before a Glacier Peak put up three runs in the bottom of the sixth to put them in a position to tie the game.
In the eighth, Rebecca Willis singled home the winning run for Glacier Peak.
Prairie’s next two opponents — Columbia River and Bonney Lake — they let out their frustrations, scoring 23 runs and 36 hits combined in both games. Prairie beat River 12-2 and Bonney Lake 11-2.
“We took all of that anger from the first game and used it in these last two games,” Phares said.
Phares got into a really good groove, as did her teammate Bridget Guiney who also homered twice during the first day of the tournament. Jordan Shaw hit a three-run homer against River.
Mountain View bounced back after a tough 5-4 loss to Shadle Park of Spokane, winning their next game against 10-1 against Mount Si of Snoqualmie.
In the win over Mount Si, Bailey Gaspar went 3 for 4 with a home run, and Jessica Alcomendas also homered. The Thunder’s season ended with a 4-1 loss to Juanita of Kirkland.
Juanita put up five runs in the first inning in its opener against Columbia River, and the Chieftains were not able to rally in a 5-2 loss.
Prairie tallied five runs in both the first and second innings against Columbia River on its way to a 12-2 win. It was the fifth meeting between the two teams this season.
