By Michael Carman
Peninsula Daily News
RICHLAND — Forks fell one-run shy of reaching the Class 1A state softball championship but the Spartans impressed in their first-ever state softball tournament appearance, finishing fourth in Class 1A Saturday at Columbia Playfields.
Forks (14-12) fell 10-2 to Warden in the third-place game.
The Spartans reached the trophy round by putting an 11-1 hurting on College Place Saturday afternoon, bouncing back from a close semifinal loss earlier in the day.
Southwest District 4 foe Castle Rock notched it’s second one-run victory over Forks in a little more than a week in a 4-3 state semifinal contest Saturday morning.
The Spartans put the game-tying and potentially winning runs on second with one out in their final at-bat in the top of the seventh but Forks lined out to center and the throw to second base doubled off the runner for a double play to end the game.
Chloe Leverington went 3 for 3 with a run and an RBI to pace the Spartans’ attack.
Julia Lausche added a two-run single for Forks.
Friday’s games
The Spartans pounded out 21 hits and won two games by a combined margin of 17-1 Friday at Columbia Playfields.
The Spartans took advantage of mistakes by Cle Elum-Roslyn in a seven-run second inning to take a 9-0 lead and cruise to a 12-1 win in the quarterfinals Friday afternoon.
Forks coach Dennis Dean Jr. said before the state tournament that his team’s pitching would surprise opponents at state.
Britney Dean tossed a four-hit shuout, striking out 12 in in a 5-0 blanking of Lynden Christian on Friday.
And Chloe Leverington one-hit Cle Elum-Roslyn in the second contest, while walking two and striking out eight.
“We ended up winning, I don’t know if I can say we played great,” Forks coach Dean said after the Lynden Christian game. “I would have liked to have scored more than five runs.”
Britney Dean went the distance in the circle for Forks, striking out 12 and walking one to earn the win.
Rian Peters went 4 for 4 for the Spartans, scoring the game’s first run in the fifth inning on a Jayden Olson RBI double.
Chloe Leverington brought home Olson with a two-run home run to put Forks up 3-0 after five.
Freshman Aspen Rondeau went 2 for 3 for the Spartans (12-10). She led off the top of the seventh with a double and scored an insurance run for Forks on a triple by Peters.
Olson bunted Peters home to account for the final run.
She finished 2 for 3 and was hit by a pitch.
Forks 12, Cle Elum-Roslyn 1, 5 innings
Cle 0 0 0 0 0 — 1 1 6
Forks 2 7 2 1 X — 12 11 1
WP: Leverington LP: Howard
Pitching
Cle Elum-Roslyn — Howard 4IP, 10H, 12R, 6ER, 5BB, 4K. Forks — Leverington 5IP, H, R, ER, 2BB, 8K.
Hitting
Cle Elum-Roslyn — Nass 1-3.
Forks — Peters 1-3, 3SB, 3R, 2RBI; Olson 3-4, 2R, RBI; Leverington 2-3, 2RBI; Rondeau 1-2, BB, 2RBI; N. Lausche 1-3, R, 2RBI; Rancourt SB, 2R.
Forks 5, Lynden Christian 0
Forks 0 0 0 0 3 0 2 — 5 11 1
LC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0— 0 4 0
WP: Dean LP: Jansma
Pitching
Forks — Dean 7IP, 4H, 0R, BB, 12K.
LC — Jansma 7IP, 11H, 5ER, BB, 2K.
Hitting
Forks — Peters 4-4, 3B, 2R, RBI; Olson 2-3, 2B, R, RBI; Leverington 1-4, R, HR, 3RBI; A. Rondeau 2-3, R, 2B, N. Lausche 1-3; M. Rondeau 1-4, 2B.
Forks’ Chole Leverington (9) heads for home after knocking the ball over the left field fence as the Spartans defeated Lynden Christian 5 to 0. Awaiting at home plate are a group of happy Spartans while head Coach Jr. Dean looks on. Lonnie.
