RICHLAND - The Moses Lake Rattlers 12u fastpitch softball team traveled to the Tri-Cities over the weekend to compete in the 2012 NSA Washington State Softball Championships. The Rattlers played well all weekend and were impressive, finishing third overall with a 4-2 record.

The girls started the schedule off with a come from behind win over the Montesano Bulldogs Friday, June 29. KK Orozco drove in Hayley Cantu in the sixth inning and Kalli Fahey pitched a flawless bottom of the sixth to secure the win.

Game 2 pitted the Rattlers against an overwhelmed Blaze Velocity team that was unable to stop the Rattler bats as they scored 15 runs in four innings for a 15-1 victory. Fahey went the distance on the mound for the win. Tia Radach, Andrea Rodriguez and Fahey combined for six hits and nine RBI to lead the offensive surge.

Saturday morning the girls took on a feisty Snohomish SWAT team that battled toe to toe with the Rattlers for six innings. But the team was unable to get any offense going against Fahey as she held the SWAT bats at bay for a 5-2 win. Offensive leaders for the game for the Rattlers were Sydney Balderas, Radach and Fahey who were a combined 5-8 with four RBI.

Saturday night the girls played through a constant rain to secure a spot in the semi-finals with an 11-1 drubbing of the Tri City Thunder. Again Fahey kept the powerful Thunder bats at bay as Brooklyn Bailey, Brooke Richardson, Radach, Orozco, and Cantu combined for nine hits in 11 at bats while plating seven runs. Cheyenne Walker invoked the 10-run mercy rule with a single that brought Cantu home ending the game in four innings.

The semi-final game turned out to be the one that got away against the eventual state champs Bellevue Blast. The girls battled hard thru the sixth inning to tie the game 4-4. The top of the seventh turned in to a nightmare for the Rattlers as the girls committed six errors which enabled the Blast to score nine runs in the 13-4 loss.

With another chance to get in to the championship game, the girls were set for a rematch against the same Tri City Thunder team they had dominated the night before. Unfortunately, the results of the game were not the same as the Thunder was able to get to Orozco in the bottom of the fourth for six runs and never look back as they beat the Rattlers 9-1, securing a spot in the title game. Brooklyn Bailey led the offense for the Rattlers with two hits. Orozco scored the only run of the game for Moses Lake.

Offensive leaders for the tournament for the Rattlers were Radach who hit for a .500 average and finished with nine RBI, Andrea Rodriguez (.538) and four 4 RBI., and Fahey (.529) with seven RBI.

Fahey was 4-1 on the mound, and Orozco went 0-1.