YAKIMA — Reaching their first state championship game in program history, the No. 6 seed Warden Cougars fell 13-5 to No. 1 Adna, placing second in the 2B State Softball Tournament.

“The girls all came together during the season getting better and better,” Warden head coach Randy Wright said. “They worked together, all focused on the same goals and when you’ve got a team that really blends together like that, that’s what it takes. I think mentally they were ready for it.”

After Warden took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning with a solo home run by senior Sierra Campos, Adna responded by scoring a total of nine runs across the bottom of the third and fourth innings. The Cougars rallied with a four-run top of the fifth, where senior Valerie Rodriguez scored on a bases-loaded walk, senior Aliza Leinweber drove in two runs on a single and sophomore Jamylex Pruneda had an RBI single, but couldn’t cut any more into the deficit as the Pirates rode off to their second straight state title.

“That was our third or fourth time facing (Adna pitcher Ava Simms) in the last couple of years, and she’s always been tough to hit,” Wright said. 

The second-place finish was Warden’s highest placing at state, and its first since a third-place finish in the 1A State Softball Tournament in 2019. In state appearances in the 2022 and 2023 seasons, Warden went a combined 0-4 in games; Wright said the difference this season was the team’s mentality.

“Those last couple seasons, we came out kind of nervous and tight,” Wright said. “During the season I tried to put emphasis on the mental side, and I think that paid off — the girls were comfortable being there.”

After taking down Lind-Ritzville/Sprague 6-4 in the opening round, Warden faced No. 3 Forks in the state quarterfinals. The Cougars took a 10-2 lead through the first five-and-a-half innings before the Spartans scored nine runs in the bottom of the fifth inning and took an 11-10 lead. Forks’ lead was short-lived, as the Cougars scored five runs in the top of the sixth and held on for a 17-15 win.

“They don’t look at any lead as insurmountable, they just keep going after it,” Wright said. 

In the state semifinals, Warden matched up with No. 10 Toledo on Saturday morning. The Riverhawks were coming off 14-0 and 24-1 wins over No. 7 Ocosta and No. 2 Okanogan, respectively, on Friday, but the Cougars held them to just six runs in a 17-6 win to reach the state championship game.

“They make the plays, they’re really good on defense,” Wright said. “Emma (Cox) was making really good pitches, she had her stuff that game. She knows she has a defense behind her that will catch the basics. The girls are pretty consistent on defense, we don’t commit too many errors.”

Warden finishes the 2024 season with a 21-7 overall record.

The Cougars will graduate five players from this year’s roster; Rodriguez, Campos, Cox, Brianalee Martinez and Leinweber. Cox and Leinweber will be competing at the collegiate level next spring, going to play for Southern Virginia and Wenatchee Valley, respectively. 

“This year, the seniors showed great leadership,” Wright said. “They made a good example for the rest of the team — that you always can do it. They set the standard of what it’s like to be a team. There was no bickering, nobody was getting on each other for mistakes. They were always picking each other up, and that makes for a good team. They are going to be missed.”

On the other side, Warden will have seven players returning for the 2025 season. Wright said he hopes the returners take away the importance of believing in themselves and the team as a whole.

“It’s not hard to teach a girl how to play ball, but I think harder to have them realize that no matter what, it’s not about them and it’s about the whole team,” Wright said. “Once you get them believing in that, now you can get something done.”

Ian Bivona may be reached at ibivona@columbiabasinherald.com. 

Box score

WRD: 0-1-0-0-4-0-0 5

ADN: 0-0-5-4-1-3-X 13

    Warden senior Emma Cox pitches against Adna in the 2B state championship game on Saturday.
  

    Warden sophomore Jamylex Pruneda leads off of first base during the top of the second inning on Saturday against Adna.
  

    Warden senior Aliza Leinweber saints for a pitch in the top of the first inning against Adna on Saturday.