State slowpitch: Mead wins two close games, advances to 4A championship against top-seeded Chiawana

YAKIMA – You think the postseason couldn’t get any wilder for the Mead softball team?

Well, it can and it did.

A week removed from rallying from 10 runs down to punch their ticket to state, the seventh-seeded Panthers added to the dramatics Friday at the State 4A slowpitch softball tournament at the Gateway Sports Complex in Yakima.

Mead built a nine-run lead and held on for a 16-14 upset of No. 2 Skyview in Friday morning’s quarterfinals.

Next, the Panthers clawed back from down five with big sixth and seventh innings to topple third-seeded Moses Lake 21-18 in the afternoon semifinals to advance to Saturday’s championship game.

The Panthers will meet three-time defending champion and No. 1 seed Chiawana at 2 p.m. Saturday.

“This team has just shown so much fight – they never give up,” Panthers coach Tiffany Casedy said.

Mead’s run to the final strengthened the Greater Spokane League’s claim to its status as top conference.

In the State 3A/2A tournament, top-seeded Mt. Spokane and No. 2 University both 10-run-ruled their opponents and will meet in a repeat of last fall’s title game in which the Wildcats outlasted the Titans 18-17. The final is scheduled for 2.

The GSL’s fourth team in Yakima, sixth-seeded Shadle Park, is still alive for third place in 3A/2A after falling to U-Hi in a semifinal. The Highlanders meet No. 5 Kelso at 11:30 a.m., with the winner advancing to the trophy round.

“Our league is really good and it really does prepare us (for state), so we’re thankful,” Casedy said.

The Mead faithful have witnessed big comebacks in the past three games.

After erasing a 10-run deficit Oct. 18 to edge Lewis and Clark 17-16 for District 6’s second state berth, the Panthers (16-4) nearly saw the tables turned by Skyview.

Down 16-6, the Storm chipped away with three runs in the sixth and four in the seventh. They had the tying run aboard before a flyout ended the game.

Kayla Larsen led the Panthers’ 16-hit attack with four hits – including a two-run homer in the third – and five RBIs. Leah Juarez added four hits, including a double.

Mead was the team to rally in the semifinal, scoring five runs in the top of the sixth and seven in the seventh to beat the Big Nine champs.

Jaycee Coffield’s inside-the-park, three-run homer gave the Panthers an 18-16 lead in the seventh. They tacked on three runs. The junior catcher totaled three hits and drove in six runs.

Mia Martin smacked a three-run blast and finished with three hits, three runs and five RBIs.

“It’s been a different person every game and they never feel it’s over,” Casedy said. “It’s kind of the same speech every game – control what you can control.”

Mt. Spokane continued its perfect march, walloping No. 8 Chief Sealth in the quarterfinals 32-0 before sophomore Emme Bond had a two-run homer in a 12-1 victory over fourth-seeded Walla Walla.

“They’re just looking at what’s ahead of them and not anything that’s gone on,” Mt. Spokane coach Carl Adams said. “They’ll be focused and ready to go (Saturday).”

The Wildcats (20-0) have beaten 15 of their opponents by 10 or more runs. They are scoring nearly 19 runs a game.

Quincy Schuerman’s 4-for-4 effort, which included two home runs and six RBIs, keyed the quarterfinal win. Kaydin Bradeen homered, drove in five runs and had three hits, and Sloane Gardner backed her shutout pitching with a homer.

Lilly Main finished 3 for 3 with five RBIs against Walla Walla.

University was in dominant form, defeating No. 7 Inglemoor 15-2 to begin the day and handling Shadle Park 13-1 in a semifinal.

“They were kind of a roll, so I’m glad we came and got the momentum from the get go,” Titans coach Jon Schuh, referencing Shadle Park’s 20-11 quarterfinal upset of No. 3 Columbia River.

U-Hi’s Claire Fulkerson hit a two-run homer in the quarterfinal and was 3 for 3 in the semifinal, with five RBIs.

Ashlyn Carver also had four hits and knocked in five for the day, tripling in each game.

Mt. Spokane has handed the Titans (17-4) three of their losses this season, with the closest margin being six runs.

“The biggest thing for us is that we’ve had pockets of success and we’ve got to have our A game tomorrow,” Schuh said. “We can’t have a good inning. We’ve got to have seven good innings.”