State softball roundup: Richland rebounds in 4A tournament

The Richland Bombers’ state softball title hopes were dashed in their opening game Friday.

Snohomish cruised to a 17-6 win in the Class 4A first-round game at Merkel Sports Complex in Spokane.

But Richland is still alive in the consolation side of the bracket after two convincing victories.

The Bombers (22-6-1) rebounded to beat Curtis of University Place 11-4, then knocked out Gig Harbor 13-3 in five innings.

Richland will play Redmond (14-12) at 10 a.m. Saturday.

The Bombers fell behind Snohomish for good in the top of the fourth inning. The Panthers (21-3) had 26 hits off Richland.

Snohomish ace Alyssa Simons gave up nine hits, including two-run home runs to Brandi Andrews and Natalie Giroux, but she struck out 12 and walked one.

Andrews went 9-for-11 with nine RBIs on the day. However, she struggled in the circle against Snohomish. In 5 2/3 innings, she gave up 19 hits and 12 runs — all earned.

Andrews recovered against Curtis (10-16) and Gig Harbor (19-9), going the distance in both contests. She struck out nine, walked one, allowed three earned runs and gave up 15 hits over the two games.

The top two teams in last year’s 4A state title game both lost in the first round this year.

Defending champion Tahoma, playing without pitcher Carley Nance (torn ACL), fell to District 5/8 regional winner University 16-0 in five innings.

Tahoma was eliminated with a 9-2 loss to Jackson of Everett.

Yelm will face Woodinville while Snohomish plays Puyallup in Saturday’s 10 a.m. semifinals.

In the 1B state tournament at Gateway Sports Complex in Yakima, defending champ Liberty Christian lost its opener to Quilcene 4-3. The Patriots (9-12) beat Wishkah Valley 19-11 in a consolation game, getting four RBIs from Katie Steele, and will play Almira/Coulee-Hartline at 2 p.m. Saturday for a spot in the third/fourth-place game.

The first-round results were better for a couple of local teams.

Behind homers from Kirsten Quigley, Audisey Sauceda and Cayleen Garza, Othello beat Sequim 11-3 in their 2A opener at Selah’s Carlon Park. DeSales defeated Onalaska 8-5 in the 2B tournament at Gateway Sports Complex.

Othello (22-2) defeated Port Angeles 5-2 in the quarterfinals and will play R.A. Long at 10 a.m. Saturday for a berth in the 2A title game. Fife and defending champion W.F. West will meet in the other semifinal.

Niki Martinez recorded 16 strikeouts on the day for the Huskies.

DeSales (18-4) moved into the 2B state semifinals after beating Concrete 12-2 on Friday night. The Irish were scheduled to play Toutle Lake at noon Saturday.

Meanwhile, in its first state tournament appearance since 2006, Kiona-Benton lost 7-1 to Sultan in its 1A opener at Columbia Playfield in Richland. The Bears (17-9) then edged Seattle Christian 10-8, but a 3-1 loss to Nooksack Valley ended their season.

This story was originally published May 27, 2016 at 3:21 PM with the headline "State softball roundup: Richland rebounds in 4A tournament."