Colton keeps cup on 3-win run

--Jerry Morse photo.Colton girls record a team photo Saturday afternoon at Gateway Park after finishing their title defense in the 1B state fastpitch tournament. The Wildcats ran a three-game sweep and defeated Touchet in the title game to bring the trophy back to Colton.

Except for a slow start in their middle game, Colton girls rolled up three solid wins to keep the state 1B softball cup they brought home last year. The Colton veterans kept the cup with a 5-2 win over Touchet, the SE foes they faced five times this year.

Colton’s lone loss to the Indians came out of a split in league play during the regular season.

Mikala Nygreen pulls into second base in front of Lake Quinault's Donna Gerard.

Senior Kelsey Moser allowed the Indians six hits and struck out 11. The title win was the final round for Moser who was among a group of Colton girls who have made five trips to state playoffs over the last two years.

Colfax had eight hits off Touchet pitchers Megan Reed and Nicole Brown.

Kelsey Moser had three of the Colton hits, including a solo homer.

Erin Weber was 2-3 at the plate and Haley Moser picked up an RBI hit.

Kelsey Moser pitched shutout ball at Touchet until the Indians scored twice in the seventh inning. They totaled six hits.

Coach Brad Nilson said Erin Weber had one of the big catches of the game when she landed a Touchet shot while going back to the fence in centerfield at the Gateway Park. Megan Grassl also had a bucket catch to play a part in keeping the lid on Touchet.

Last year, Colton canned Touchet 13-1 to take the 1B title.

The state 1B format advances just eight teams to the final at Yakima, and Colton took the trophy with the requisite three wins.

The Wildcats started by hammering the Lake Quinault Elks from Amanda Park on Highway 101 18-0. The Wildcats put it in the 10-run win range when they scored 12 in the first inning. They finished with 11 hits and a bundle of walks.

Kelsey Moser started for the Wildcats, and Coach Nilson put Mikayla Nygreen in the pitching circle in the third inning to save innings for his senior.

Megan Grassl had three of the Colton RBIs in the first game off two hits and scored twice. Kelsey Moser also hit 2-3 and scored three times in the five-inning game.

Colton late Friday went up against Almira-Coulee-Hartline in the semi-final round and came out with an 18-9 win.

Coach Nilson noted he was rattled when ACH scored twice in the bottom of the fourth inning to take the lead.

“I was a little worried at that point, but we came back to score 12 runs in the next inning,” Nilson said.

The Colton hammer frame included homers by Megan Heitstuman and Kelsey Moser.

Colton finished with 13 hits off Warrior hurler Sarah Gloyn.

Grassl, Heitstuman and Weber each had three hits against the Warriors.

Touchet in the semi-round pegged a 12-1 win over Cusick, the number three qualifier last week out of the regional round at Medical Lake.

Colton finished with a record of 21-3. The Wildcats will lose Kelsey Moser and Grassl to the graduation list, but their list of returning veterans bodes well for another campaign next year.