State Softball: W.F. West grits, grinds way into state semifinals for first time in four years

May 23-BOX SCORES

At Carlon Park

BEARCATS 1, TROJANS 0 (8 inn.)

Olympic000 000 00 - 0

W.F. West000 000 01 - 1

OLY Pitching - Richmond 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R (0 ER), 5 BB, 5 SO. Highlights - Brown 1-3; Gordon 1-3

WFW Pitching - Tay. Tobin 8 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 15 SO. Highlights - Middleton 1-4, 2B, R, 2 SB; Spencer 1-2, 2 BB, 2 SB; Elam 1-4, 2B

BEARCATS 3, SPUDDERS 1

Ridgefield000 100 0 - 1

W.F. West030 000 X - 3

RID Pitching - Bruguier 4.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R (0 ER), 3 BB, 1 SO; Smith 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO. Highlights - Hite 1-3, HR, RBI, R; Bruguier 1-3, SB; Wolski 1-3

WFW Pitching - Tay. Tobin 7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 10 SO. Highlights - Osborn 1-2, RBI, R, BB; Smitherman 1-3, 2B; Coleman 1-3

SELAH - It took the W.F. West High School softball team 1 hour and 45 minutes to survive a Round of 16 test.

Then once the quarterfinal commenced - 59 minutes late from the scheduled start time - they needed just 1:33 to keep its place on the championship side of the Class 2A state tournament.

The Bearcats decided to keep being quick on Friday night, making their 21-member party not be a second late to a 7 p.m. reservation at Texas Roadhouse that gracefully overlooks the Palm Springs of Washington.

"We're all dirty, sweaty and grimy; girls were wearing their uniforms," W.F. West head coach Kevin Zylstra said. "We had a great time."

Eat up, Bearcats.

The No. 2 seed triumphed in a walk-off thriller to clip No. 15 Olympic 1-0 in eight innings and needed just one inning to put up all the runs needed to upend district foe No. 7 Ridgefield 3-1 to claim a spot in the state semifinals for the first time since 2022.

The Bearcats (21-4) are a win away from leaving Carlon Park in Selah with some hardware, which was also the '22 state tourney the last time it happened. They'll take on the darlings of state so far, No. 11 Archbishop Murphy.

"I am so proud of how everyone came in clutch when we needed to," junior ace Taylor Tobin said.

From the moment W.F. West won its season opener against 4A Camas, a program that's had the upper-hand in recent meetings, there was a different vibe around the dugout.

And it continued into the regular season and now the postseason. The junior-laden Bearcats have won in shootouts, in run-rules and in tightly contested games. In their two biggest games of the season to this point, there was nothing flashy nor was a crooked number put up.

Win by one. That's all that matters to W.F. West right now.

"Everyone put everything into the field, no matter how tired we were," shortstop Rayah Middleton said. "As soon as we won our first game, we knew what to do the rest of the way."

Which was the exact differential needed to stave off upset-minded Olympic in the Round of 16. Trojans starter Jules Richmond had the Bearcats baffled with her slow-moving changeup and induced a lot of weak contact.

Gracie Elam roped a leadoff double in the bottom of the fourth for the Bearcats first hit of the day. They stranded a runner at third base in the opening five innings and left the bases loaded in the seventh.

They kept knocking on the door. Richmond would shut it every time.

"The girls were getting frustrated," Zylstra said. "We just took too many pitches before she got into those changeup counts. We needed to be more aggressive early."

"We faced really good pitchers, off-speed is what we struggle with," Middleton added. "It wasn't a mad frustration."

Olympic nearly grabbed the lead in its half of the seventh, notching two singles before a pop up was dropped by Tobin, but the field umpire called an infield fly. Both runners advanced and a bunt from Danika Potter was picked up by Karlee Coleman, who zipped it to Kenley Fragner and held on for the force out at the plate.

Tobin struck out Evelynne Abbay on three pitches, the final of her 15-K performance where she only allowed two hits and two deep flyball outs.

"I was trying to get them (out) efficiently," Tobin said.

Middleton led off the eighth with a screaming double into the gap. Zylstra decided to let Brooklyn Spencer bunt, but which direction was the question. The freshman has a preference to bunt down the first base line, yet Zylstra wanted her to bunt down third base.

In the end, he left it up to Richmond's pitch location.

"Inside you go to third, outside you go to first," Zylstra said. "For a freshman, that girl is so heady. With her speed, the rest is history."

A throwing error by the Trojans allowed Middleton to cross home easily and ignite a celebration that kept the Bearcats title-winning dreams alive. They mobbed Spencer right by Olympic's chagrined section of spectators.

"As soon as she got that bunt down, I was going," Middleton said. "We got all of our jitters out."

The theatrics of the morning set up the rematch with the Spudders for the afternoon. Eight days ago was the district semifinal that featured a Karly Rasmussen go-ahead RBI single to give W.F. West a 4-3 triumph.

Friday's sequel wasn't as dramatic as the original.

Back-to-back errors put the Bearcats in position to break an early scoreless game and after a fielder's choice was recorded for the second out, Avery Osborn registered an RBI single to give them a 1-0 lead.

Their next batter Allie Smitherman chopped a grounder that took a high bounce off Spudders shortstop Abbey Hite's glove and into the outfield, then the throw back into play was another miscue and it resulted in two runs that crossed home.

Two-out hitting has been a common theme of success for the Bearcats.

"It is so nice to know your team can dig deep when they need it," Zylstra said. "Two outs, who do we have up? Can they do it? Knowing that the answer is yes, more times than not, is a great feeling as a coach."

Tobin's lone mistake was a solo homer by Hite in the fourth, but she was efficient once again with under 100 pitches, five hits allowed and 10 strikeouts. She didn't allow a walk all day.

"I just wanted to have more energy and I wanted to make sure I hit all my spots," Tobin said. "I felt more confident than my freshman year."

It's been three years of brilliance in the circle for the right-hander and Zylstra continues to be all smiles after each start.

"She was bringing it, she had her highest velocity in the seventh (against Ridgefield)," he said. "I just love to see her dig down and have the extra juice when she needs it. Somewhere, she summoned the strength to finish that game."

What stands in W.F. West's way of its first state championship game appearance in six years is a Wildcats squad that demolished No. 6 East Valley (Yakima) and upset the returning state runner-ups from last season, No. 3 Port Angeles.

The Wildcats hit five homers on the day and recorded 20 total hits in the two wins.

"They are an excellent team and they've come out of nowhere," Zylstra said.

Tobin and Middleton don't plan on seeing the ride end without getting to the state title game and guaranteeing a trophy coming back to Chehalis.

"We get runs when we need them," Middleton said.

Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.