CENTRALIA — The Forks softball team played Pe Ell/Willapa Valley for the fourth time this season, losing a close one Saturday afternoon 5-3 to the Titans in the District 1/4 tournament consolation finals at Fort Borst Park.
With the loss, the Spartans wrapped up district play in fourth place. The game was for seeding purposes only as the Spartans qualified for the state 2B tournament earlier in the day by beating Toledo in the consolation semifinals. Forks went 2-2 at the tournament and the Spartans begin play at state Friday in Yakima.
Forks was seeded No. 7 at state and will play No. 10 seed Brewster in the Spartans’ opening game.
Forks (14-7) went into the seventh inning up 3-2, but the Titans rallied for three runs in the top of the inning to pull it out. The Titans and Spartans were co-champions of the Pacific 2B league. The Titans beat Forks three out of four games this year, and every single game was close with a two-run margin.
Chloe Gaydeski hit a home run for the Spartans. She went 2-for-3 on the day with two RBIs. Kadie Wood was 2-for-4. Kaidence Rigby hit a double and drove in a run, while Bailey Johnson hit a double and scored a run. Lizzy Soto also smacked a double.
Gaydeski started and went six innings, allowing eight hits and an earned run. Soto pitched the seventh, allowing two hits and three earned runs.
Pe Ell/Willapa Valley 5, Forks 3
PE/WV 0 1 0 0 1 0 3 — 5 10 1
Forks 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 — 3 9 1
Pitching
Forks — Gaydeski 6 IP, 8 H, ER; Soto IP, 2 H, 3 ER.
Hitting
Forks — Gaydeski 2-3, HR, R, 2 RBI; Wood 2-4; Rigby 1-3, 2B, RBI; B. Johnson 1-4, 2B, R; Soto 1-3 2B.
Early Saturday game
Forks qualified for the state 2B tournament by beating Toledo 4-2 Saturday morning in the consolation semifinals.
Gaydeski went the distance, going seven innings and allowing just five hits and two earned runs. She struck out five.
Bailey Johnson led the way for the Spartans, going 3-for-4 at the plate and scoring two runs. Wood had a double and an RBI, while Keira Johnson had a single, an RBI, a run scored and a stolen base.
Soto hit 3-for-4 while Kyra Neel was 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored.
Forks 4, Toledo 2
Forks 1 0 2 1 0 0 0 — 4 11 5
Toledo 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 — 2 5 3
Pitching
Forks — Gaydeski 7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 5 K.
Hitting
Forks — B. Johnson 3-4, 2 R; Soto 3-4; Neel 2-4 2B, R; K. Johnson 1-4, R, RBI, SB’ Wood 1-3, 2B, RBI.
