Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
The Colton High School softball team gathers with the second-place trophy in Yakima after losing to repeat champions Almira/Coulee/Hartline.
Colton opened the tournament with a first round win over the Loggerettes of Wishkah Valley, 13-2. They advanced to meet Southeast 1B league rival Pomeroy in the semifinals, winning 11-6.
They made the state final, a team lead by five seniors, to play defending champions Almira/Coulee/Hartline, which beat them in a seeding game a week before.
This would be for Colton's eighth state 1B softball championship since 2009, the last title in 2016, when the seniors were freshmen.
The game was Saturday evening, May 25, in Yakima.
Senior Emily Schultheis pitched, striking out five batters with one walk, allowing two hits.
For ACH, Sarah Bradshaw pitched, allowing five hits, with one walk and no strikeouts.
Colton lost 2-1.
"You can't be disappointed in how we played," said Brad Nilson, Colton coach. "It's the first time I've lost (a state final) and don't feel disappointed with how we played. The only disappointment was we didn't win."
ACH scored its two runs in the third inning on a triple with two runners on. The first got on base with a blooper to Maggi Pluid at third, followed by a Warriors' hit to left field, dropped by Addison Kinzer, but she recovered and threw out the first runner at second. Then a runner got on with a walk.
With the Warriors up 2-0, in the fourth, Colton scored its one run when Kinzer, a senior, hit an RBI-line drive to score Josie Schultheis from second.
The 2-1 score would hold to the end of the seven-inning game.
"We had a lot of hits in between there, we just never strung them together," said Nilson.
Of other hit balls by Colton, many went in the direction of ACH defenders.
"1, 2, 3, next. 1, 2, 3, next. Hitting it to somebody," Nilson said.
Colton advanced runners to second base in a few instances but could not bring them home.
In the end, the Wildcats left six runners on base in the game while ACH left four.
Colton hits came from Kinzer, Rylee Vining, Emily Schultheis (double) and Taylor Thomas.
Almira/Coulee/Hartline hits were from Makenna Oliver (triple) and Kendel Correia.
The Warriors' repeat championship caps a year of falling just short in other sports.
They played in the volleyball state final last November, losing to Oakesdale, then lost by a point in the state basketball semifinals in March before they won state in softball by a run in May.
STATE SEMIFINAL
Colton 11-Pomeroy 6
Against Pomeroy, Colton catcher Abby Kelly led with two hits while the Wildcats also got hits from Moehrle, Emily Schultheis, Maggi Pluid and Taylor Thomas.
Josie Schultheis pitched for Colton, going seven innings to allow 11 hits, two earned runs, with 10 strikeouts and one walk.
Pomeroy beat Colton twice during the season – once in Colton's second game of the year and the second time in wind and rain.
"It was the first time we got to play them without any excuses," said Nilson.
Their meeting at state was highlighted by outfield play from freshman Maggie Meyer.
"She had some catches she ran her butt to get," said Nilson. "She covered some ground."
Pomeroy beat Quilcene 22-9 to advance to the semis.
FIRST ROUND
Colton 13-Wishkah Valley 2
Colton opened state Friday afternoon with a nine-run first inning.
For the game, they had hits from Vining, Moehrle, Emily Schultheis, Josie Schultheis, Pluid, Thomas and Lydia Smith. Emily Schultheis pitched, allowing three hits, with two earned runs, six walks and eight strikeouts.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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