SNOHOMISH — The Port Angeles Illusion 16U A select softball team wrapped a successful season with a second-place finish at the National Softball Association’s Western World Series.
The Illusion recorded a 4-3 overall mark in pool and bracket play, with two losses coming at the hands of host, and eventual champion, the Snohomish Swat.
In Saturday’s championship game, Illusion went up by a 3-0 margin in the third inning, but the team’s bats went quiet, unable to come up with clutch hits in a 6-3 loss.
Port Angeles opened the tournament by splitting a pair of pool play contests.
The Illusion bested the Easton (Calif.) Bullets 9-1 on the strength of a two-hitter by starting pitcher Nizhoni Wheeler.
Chimacum’s Ryley Eldridge led the offense, going 2 for 2 with a home run.
The Illusion were edged 7-6 by the White Rock (British Columbia) Thunder in their second contest.
Brennan Gray and Kylee Reid scored early runs for Port Angeles.
The Illusion tied the game at 5-all on a pair of singles by Sierra Robinson and Jaidyn Larson and the contest went to extra innings.
Port Angeles took the lead when Reid scored on a groundout by Saige Hefton, but couldn’t hang on as White Rock plated two for the win.
The Illusion opened bracket play with a 4-2 win over the Bakersfield (Calif.) Nitro.
Both teams were scoreless through four innings when Reid came through with a two-RBI single to score Wheeler and Eldridge, who had reached base via a single and an error, respectively.
Port Angeles got some revenge in its second bracket-play game, besting a Mayhem 99 team that beat the Illusion at the state tournament.
With the game tied at 2-2 in the sixth, Port Angeles scored three runs on a Natalie Steinman single and consecutive doubles by Eldridge, Gray and Reid.
More revenge came in a 10-2 win in five innings against White Rock to close bracket play.
Reid homered to center to put the Illusion on the board in third and Larson ended the contest with a grand-slam homer to left to score Reid, Boyd and Nikki Price, who all reached base on singles.
Port Angeles fell to Snohomish 3-1 in the semifinals, the Illusion’s lone run coming when Larson doubled and scored on a Natalie Steinman groundout.
A three-run error in the sixth inning allowed Snohomish to escape with the win.
A five-run fourth inning pushed Port Angeles past White Rock and on to the championship game in a 10-3 consolation bracket victory.
Gray belted a two-run double in the first to score Larson and Robinson.
A double by Eldridge, and a triple by Price led the attack in the fourth.
The Illusion finished the season with an overall record of 20-7.
The team also finished second at the National Softball Association state tournament.
Port Angeles was coached by Mitch Gray, Randy Steinman, Rick Pennington and Warren Stevens.
