Herald staff
Monroe’s bid for a state softball championship came up short Saturday, but coach Mike Birch’s Bearcats still concluded their 4A state tournament by making program history.
Monroe had previously reached state five times but had never left with a trophy. That streak ended, as the Bearcats bounced back from a semifinal loss to win back-to-back games and claimed a third-place trophy at Dwight-Merkel Sports Complex in Spokane.
“It means a lot to us,” Birch said. “No Monroe softball team has ever came home with any hardware. It’s one of the best softball teams Monroe has ever put out top to bottom. I’m very, very proud of the girls.”
Monroe’s day started with a 7-2 semifinal loss to eventual state champion Woodinville. Late mistakes cost the Bearcats a chance to play for a state title, but needing a win to keep their season alive and guarantee themselves a third- or fourth-place finish, Monroe came up with a dramatic 9-8 walkoff win against Walla Walla.
The Bearcats led heading into the seventh inning, but Walla Walla tied the game, setting the stage for a game-winning base hit from Hannah Hvitved.
Monroe parlayed the momentum from the Walla Walla win into an 8-5 victory over Camas. The Bearcats led early, then trailed and put together a huge inning late to pull ahead for good. Sarah Reeves got the start, and McKenzie Schulz entered in relief and shut down Camas.
The win gave the Bearcats (23-6) a 4-1 tournament record and a third-place finish. Monroe on Friday opened the state tournament with 9-2 victory over Tahoma and a 13-1 win against Battle Ground.
“What I told them after the game is ‘If you come into a tournament like this and play five games in two days, you need complete team work,” Birch said. “We used everyone on our bench, and it was a 100-percent team effort.”
Baseball
Edmonds-Woodway finished fourth in the Class 3A state tournament after losing to Mercer Island 2-1 on Saturday at Safeco Field. The Warriors finished their season 19-8.
Meanwhile, Cedar Park Christian-Bothell fell just short of a state title, taking second place after falling to King’s Way Christian 5-3 in the Class 2A state championship game Saturday in Yakima.
The Eagles (24-3) fell behind 1-0 in the first inning but took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the third courtesy of a Zachary Cokos sacrifice fly and an RBI infield single.
The Knights scored twice in the top of the sixth to regain the lead and added an insurance run in the top of the seventh to end the Eagles’ state-tournament run for the second straight year.
Boys Soccer
Glacier Peak rebounded from its heart-breaking shootout loss to Todd Beamer in Friday’s semifinals by beating Central Valley 5-3 to capture third place in state in its first season at the Class 4A level.
Keegan Rubio and Camron Miller each had two goals and two assists for the Grizzlies, who finished their season 15-6-1. Danny Guerrero scored Glacier’s other goal.
Glacier Peak led 3-0 at halftime before Central Valley rallied to close the difference to 3-2. But goals by Rubio (50th minute) and Miller (54th minute) re-established the Grizzlies’ three-goal lead.
In the 2A tournament, Mountlake Terrace, which also suffered a heart-breaking shootout loss in Friday’s semifinals, fell to Cedarcrest 2-1 Saturday in the game to decide third and fourth places. The fourth-place finish was Terrace’s best showing at state in 25 years.
Colin Cockbain scored for the Hawks (15-8). Thomas Burgess and Bailey White each scored a goal for Cedarcrest.
Boys Tennis
Kincaid Norris of Snohomish defeated August Knox of Garfield 6-3, 6-3 to cap his senior season with a third-place finish at the Class 3A state singles tournament in Kennewick. Earlier in the day, Norris lost to eventual state champion Aaron Yuan of Seattle Prep, 7-5, 6-0, in a semifinal matchup.
Also bringing home a medal from the 3A tournament was Gunnar Thorstenson of Shorewood, who placed fourth.
At the Class 4A tournament in Richland, Anuj Vimawala of Jackson placed seventh.
Girls Tennis
Sasha Gaerth of Shorewood placed second in the Class 3A singles tournament in Kennewick, losing to Viv Daniel of Lakeside 6-3, 6-3 in the championship. Gaerth advanced to the finals by beating Izabella Bilecova of North Thurston 6-2, 6-2 in the semifinals earlier in the day.
In 3A doubles, the Snohomish tandem of Kiana Akazawa and Katri Shields defeated Christine Barton and Abby Miller of Holy Names 6-4, 6-4 Saturday to place fifth.
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