Stanwood softball run ends in 3A State semifinals

Published 1:44 pm Saturday, May 23, 2026

LACEY — Patrick Ryan gathered the Stanwood softball infielders in the circle.

Facing Mount Spokane in the 3A State semifinals at the Regional Athletic Complex on Saturday, Stanwood allowed three straight batters to reach base to start off the third inning, including a solo home run from senior Addison Jay to make it 2-0. With everyone except the outfielders surrounding their coach, Ryan reminded his players about the things they have discussed all season.

“We need these moments to grow, regardless of outcomes,” Ryan said, recalling what he shared. “We have to live in that, and that’s what fuels you in the offseason. The result doesn’t matter, it’s ‘Can you execute in the situation? If you can’t, how do we adjust to it? What do we get back to?’”

Stanwood lived in a similar moment in the first inning, when Mount Spokane loaded the bases after taking a 1-0 lead. That time, Stanwood escaped without taking further damage, but after the No. 2 seed Wildcats (25-1) loaded the bases again in the third, they created a different outcome.

Sophomore Bailey Tampien ripped a two-run single to right field on the first pitch, pushing the lead to 4-0 en route to a 9-4 win that kept the No. 6 seed Spartans (21-5) one game short of the state title game, which would have been the first in program history.

Jay struck out 10 in the complete game, and went 2-for-3 at the plate with her home run and two RBI. She also limited the Stanwood lineup to just two hits, but junior Jemma Lopez walked in all three plate appearances and scored two runs. Juniors Addi Anderson and Aaliyah Shafer drove in runs on back-to-back hits in the sixth, with Shafer breaking up the no-hitter with an RBI single to left and Anderson bringing them both home with a two-run homer right after. Shafer allowed five earned runs and struck out six in 4 1/3 innings in the circle.

Just one year after reaching the state quarterfinals for the first time since 2010, the Spartans took it one step further despite turning over nearly half their starting lineup from the previous year. With only one senior on the roster — second baseman Taylor Almanza — Stanwood played with the motto of ‘Build the foundation,’ which was inscribed across Ryan’s shirt on Saturday.

“Coming into the year, my goal and focus was to really learn values,” Ryan said. “Learn how to have good work ethic, loyalty to yourself, cooperation with your teammates, friendship, and then overall believing in that and having enthusiasm. They’ve done that, and yeah, we all falter and we all make mistakes, but they’ve really stuck to that enthusiasm mindset and sitting in our values, and I think that’s what helped bring them together.

“But at the end of the day, Taylor Almanza’s done a phenomenal job of kind of glueing this team together and helping that foundation grow.”

Mount Spokane opened the scoring in the bottom of the first on an RBI single from Jay. After a bloop single from junior Avery Fox, senior Riley Kincaid walked to load the bases with two outs. With no room for error, Shafer made senior Quincy Schuerman whiff twice, then struck her out looking on a 1-2 pitch to strand the runners.

Jay faced the minimum through three innings, striking out the side in the third. Lopez worked a walk to lead off the first inning, but she was caught stealing second right after the following batter struck out.

After Jay and Tampien pushed the lead to 4-0, Lopez worked her second walk of the game to lead off the fourth, and Almanza reached on a throwing error to put runners on the corners. Executing a double steal, Lopez ran home as Almanza safely slid into second. However, Jay retired each of the next three batters, including two with a strikeout on a full count, to limit the damage.

“Jemma’s really coming into her own with understanding her leadoff role,” Ryan said. “It’s a big step as a junior to step in for your big sister (2025 graduate Rubi Lopez), and she’s really taken to it and been able to compartmentalize each at-bat, and I’m proud of her in that fact. And when she gets on, she’s learning how to be relentless on the base path.”

After picking up two quick outs in the bottom of the frame, the Spartans intentionally walked Jay, who homered in her previous at-bat, and Fox put both herself and courtesy runner Ali Moffet in scoring position with a double to left-center. Senior Lexi Mohn quickly fell behind 0-2 in the next count, down to the final strike of the inning, but she kept it alive with a two-run double to left three pitches later to push it to 6-1. The ball barely slipped under the diving Stanwood outfielder’s glove and rolled to the fence.

The Wildcats picked up three more runs in the fifth to extend the lead to 9-1, but the back-to-back hits from Shafer and Anderson cut it to 9-4 in the top of the sixth. After entering the circle in relief during the fifth, Anderson struck out three batters in the sixth, but Jay went 1-2-3 in the seventh to send Mount Vernon to the state title game.

For the Spartans, following their consolation game against No. 8 seed Inglemoor and a potential third-place game against the winner of No. 4 Roosevelt/No. 5 Timberline, it will be back to the drawing board. The foundation is in place. What will they do with it in 2027?

“The ball bounced Mount Spokane’s way,” Ryan said. “They had a few good hits, but really all of the things that needed to go their way went their way, and our kids came out and tried to execute the plan. And we did for the most part, and it is what it is. That’s growth, is you got to take these moments, and when you lose, it’s that cliche saying anymore in the game that ‘when you lose, you learn,’ and that’s really what we’re trying to get to is just learning from our mistakes and continue to grow.”