The Lady Vikings hit the ground running, opening up state tournament play by beating the Oroville Hornets 11-1 in six innings, 10-running them in under seven innings.

Adria Garcia, pitcher for the Lady Vikings, had a huge day with 10 strikeouts, while Lanie Padbury went two for two with a double and Alison O’Toole had six stolen bases. Sydney Harris went two for two with four stolen bases of her own, and April Hofmann was a monster at the plate in her batting. Designated batter for the game that day, she hit a triple, a double, and a single.

“She is only a sophomore and just crushed the ball for us on Friday,” Coach Harris said. “Oroville is a powerful team so it was a welcome victory.”

Later that day, the Lady Vikings played the Pe Elle Lady Trojans, ranked number one in the state. The Lady Vikings lost this game 8-0, but the score belies the work the Lady Vikings did on the field. Pitcher Bobbie Lowry, who pitched with surgeon-like accuracy, had the Lady Trojans’ best hitters tied in knots from her finesse over the plate. The Lady Trojans got the runs late in the sixth inning.

“As a coach,” Harris said, “I was most impressed with our defense. We put ourselves in a whole different category by playing these other more powerful teams. We rose to the challenge of playing girls who play softball all year-round. Pe Elle is a super team and a juggernaut in softball. That particular game ended at 11:05 p.m. because of a freak thunderstorm that came in; everyone was watching that game. We put ourselves on the map as state contenders.”

Because of the loss to Pe Elle, this put the Lady Vikings in consolation play. They opened in the morning versus their district foe, Rainier Christian. Orcas beat them in five innings 10-0.

After the end of that game, 15 minutes later the Lady Vikings found themselves pitted against the La Conner Lady Braves. The Lady Vikings brought out Garcia again and she had 11 strikeouts, shutting down the Lady Braves 3-0 in seven innings. Taylor was two for three with a two run double.

“That game was all about steady pitching and solid defense,” Harris said.

The Lady Vikings’ last game of state play was played against the Mossy Rock Lady Vikings with 10 minutes between the games. Mossy Rock, ranked third in the state, came out on top 17-7 in seven innings.

Finishing in the top six at state, Coach Harris said, “I could not be more proud of these players. We gained an amazing amount of respect and established ourselves as a top tier team in the 2B level. We walked away with a wow factor and that is the best thing we could have done. Our fans, as well…it meant so much to us to have our fans and supporters out there with us. It was a long drive and very much appreciated.”