Cougars conclude season in state tourney
CALEB PEREZ | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 months, 3 weeks AGO
Amaya Erickson from the Cougars connects during the state tournament Friday afternoon.
CALEB PEREZ/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
Warden player Makayla Rodriguez makes one of many stops at first base during the state softball tournament Friday afternoon.
Warden’s Miranda Martinez catches the ball for a quick out after the Rainier batter made a hit during the state tournament.
Gabby Pruneda from Warden calls out to her team from the outfield during Friday’s game against Napavine.
Cougars pitcher Jamylex Pruneda prepares to hurl the ball towards the opposing Napavine batter Friday in the state tournament.
YAKIMA — The Warden Cougars’ softball season came to a close Friday in the quarterfinals of the 2B State Tournament after falling in a tight matchup against Rainier 13-10. Even with a loss the Cougars were proud of the successes they made this season.
“It went well,” said Head Coach Randy Wright. “We’re a young team; we hung right in there in both games, but in the end the mistakes kind of cost us. We played well, but they had some big innings against us.”
Opening Round Game
In the opening round of the state tournament, the Cougars played the Napavine Tigers. Warden was first on the board in the top of the first inning after a triple from Amaya Erickson and a single from Lindsey Grubb put them up 2-0.
After holding the Tigers in the bottom of the first and a scoreless second inning, Napavine tied the game with a run in both the third and fourth innings. The Tigers’ bats caught momentum at the bottom of the fifth where they scored nine runs to gain an 11-run lead.
Warden took a shot at coming back in the top of the sixth with Makayla Rodriguez scoring a single run. Unfortunately, the Tigers took over once again and scored two runs to close out the game on the 10-run rule, sending the Cougars into the consolation bracket.
Jamylex Pruneda pitched the whole game against Napavine where she struck out six batters.
Quarterfinal Game
During the quarterfinals, the Cougars faced the Rainier Mountaineers. Once again, Warden got on the board first with a double by Jamylex Pruneda, a single by Amaya Erickson and a double by Lindsey Grubb each scoring one run.
The Cougars extended their lead in the top of the third with a single from Ariana Pruneda to put the score at 4-0. The opposing team brought trouble in the bottom of the third as they scored five runs to claim the lead.
Warden snapped back in the top of the fourth as they put up six runs, with the biggest blow coming from a single by Makayla Rodriguez that drove in two and gained a five-point lead. The Mountaineers responded with an eight-run inning in the bottom of the fourth to reclaim the lead by three.
The Cougars’ efforts prevented their opponent from scoring for the remainder of the game, but they were also unable to score and fell to the Mountaineers 13-10, ending their postseason run.
Jamylex Pruneda started on the mound for Warden where she struck out four batters in three and a third innings. Ariana Pruneda pitched relief where she threw three strikeouts.
“It was a lot of pressure on some young kids, but I’m sure they learned a lot from it and in the future I think it’s going to benefit them,” said Wright. “I was proud that they never gave up. You never saw long faces on the side; they were always going for it.”
Looking back at the season, he said while there was inexperience from the younger players, they still came up strong to make a postseason run, which he was proud of. The coach attributes the team’s success to the four seniors Amaya Erickson, Miranda Martinez, Gabby Pruneda and Jamylex Pruneda.
The seniors said they were proud of the bonds they built with their team and how everyone was determined to give their all by the end of the season.
“I’m proud of the communication that we had towards the end of the season,” said Gabby. “A lot of girls really brought up their energy, especially the eighth-graders. They brought up all their energy, they got put in and did some work, so I’m proud of everybody.”
Making state was an important milestone for the girls this year, as some made the tournament all four years of their high school careers.
“In the beginning of the season, that was a main goal of all of us to get here and I’m also proud of every single one of the players,” said Jamylex. “We didn’t know how it was going to go in the beginning, but I think toward the end of the season, we had a great team.”
“It’s a very special moment that we all get to be here together one last time,” said Amaya.
Amaya said she hopes that in each of the seniors’ time on the softball team they were able to be positive role models and those who come after carry that torch into the future. Miranda added that she hopes the younger players continue to give their all.
“I just hope they learn to always give it your all, talk it up and have energy all the time,” said Miranda. “You want to win and you want to have fun.”
BOX SCORES
OPENING ROUND
WRDN: 2-0-0-0-0-1-x: 3
NPVN: 0-0-1-1-9-2-x: 13
QUARTERFINALS
WRDN: 3-0-1-6-0-0-0: 10
RNRV: 0-0-5-8-0-0-x: 13
Warden player Makayla Rodriguez makes one of many stops at first base during the state softball tournament Friday afternoon.
Warden’s Miranda Martinez catches the ball for a quick out after the Rainier batter made a hit during the state tournament.
Gabby Pruneda from Warden calls out to her team from the outfield during Friday’s game against Napavine.
Cougars pitcher Jamylex Pruneda prepares to hurl the ball towards the opposing Napavine batter Friday in the state tournament.ARTICLES BY CALEB PEREZ
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