EVERETT — Josh McClure did not want to draw attention to it.
Entering their matchup with Archbishop Murphy on Monday, Edmonds-Woodway softball had the opportunity to clinch the Wesco South 3A/2A championship. To add even more pressure, an Edmonds-Woodway loss would tie the two teams in the standings heading into the final game of the regular season. As such, the Warriors coach tried to avoid bringing up the topic.
That plan lasted about as long as it takes for a pitch to reach the catcher’s glove. The team bus had not even left when one player asked if the game was for the league title.
“The cat was out of the bag,” McClure said. “So we just owned that on the bus on the way here. We started, and the players settled. We were low energy, we weren’t really motivated (by it).”
Unfazed by the pressure, the Warriors (14-5 overall, 10-1 league) jumped out to an early lead and took advantage of 10 errors by the Wildcats (12-7, 8-3) to earn an 11-6 victory and secure the Wesco South title.
Sophomore Helena Marsh (0-for-4) allowed three hits, six walks and one earned run while striking out nine across six innings. Junior Maddie Jones (3-for-4, 2 R, 2 RBI) led Edmonds-Woodway in hits and RBI from the ninth spot in the order. Every Warriors batter besides Marsh recorded at least one hit in the win.
“I think everyone was base-running really well, definitely taking advantage of the errors,” senior Catie Ingalls said. “Taking those extra bases when we could, which definitely helped a lot. It also boosted our confidence. … It just energized everything.”
For Archbishop Murphy, senior Markella Vick (1-for-3, 1 R, 3 RBI) hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the seventh to cut the deficit in half, but Edmonds-Woodway built up a lead too big to overcome.
“We just need to respond to errors better,” Wildcats coach Megan Dedrick said. “We can have an error, but giving them three or four per inning is not going to win us anything.”
With the league title decided and just one game left in the regular season, both teams’ attention will shift towards the District 1 Tournament. As of Monday evening, both teams rank second in their respective classification’s RPI; Edmonds-Woodway (1.0804) sits behind Sedro-Wooley (1.1566) in 3A, while Archbishop Murphy (0.8416) trails only Lynden (0.8773) in 2A.
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Archbishop Murphy’s Ari Dixon catches a pop-up for an out during the game against Edmonds-Woodway on Monday, May 5, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
A shift up to the top seed would be monumental for Archbishop Murphy, if it happened. In the District 1 2A Tournament, the top seed gets an automatic berth into the semifinals on May 14, whereas the 2-7 seeds play in the quarterfinals earlier that day at Bender Fields.
As the only 2A team in Wesco South, one that faces a handful of 4A teams in their non-league schedule, the Wildcats believe they hold an advantage entering their own classification. Archbishop Murphy, which does not have a JV team, has held their own — and often thrived — against a stronger schedule filled with much deeper programs.
While perhaps not as familiar with their 2A opponents, Dedrick is not concerned. In the Wildcats’ eyes, if they can take care of the softball, they have a good shot against anybody.
“We’re a strong team,” said junior Ari Dixon (1-for-3; 5.0 IP, 11 H, 7 ER, 0 BB, 2 K). “We’re never going to give up on each other. We’re just going to keep fighting for each other, especially us playing 3A, 4A teams helps us a lot going into 2A tournaments.”
Vick is the only senior on the team, and she feels better about this year’s group than any prior team she’s been a part of. Between being more confident at the plate and playing clean defense (most of the time), the Wildcats are prepared to shake off Monday’s loss and make a run.
“I feel like people always ask me, ‘Are you going to state? What do you think?’ And I was like, ‘This year, it’s different this year,’” Vick said. “We’ve been pushing, we’ve been (beating) teams that we literally haven’t won (against). I’ve been here for four years and we haven’t won (against) those teams these four years, and this year we’ve beat them.
“So I’m like, ‘Yeah, we’re going to state.’ I’ve literally told people, like, ‘Yep, I do think we are. This year’s different.’”
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Edmonds-Woodway’s Ellie Anderson high-fives teammate Mara Gooch during the game against Archbishop Murphy on Monday, May 5, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
In Edmonds-Woodway’s case, the Warriors will open the District 1 3A Tournament in the quarterfinals on May 13 at Phil Johnson Fields, no matter which seed they settle in towards the top.
Ingalls (2-for-5, 1 R, 2 RBI) and the rest of the senior class has only played one district tournament game over the past three seasons, but there’s one recurring theme among the Warriors that sets this group apart from the past: accountability.
“We just hold each other accountable really well,” Ingalls said. “We know when we make mistakes and we’re like, ‘Hey, sorry I did that,’ or something, but we’re just really good at holding each other accountable.”
That’s part of the culture that McClure has instilled, and in just his second season with the program, he feels the entire group has bought in. Marsh credited McClure for keeping her in check whenever she got “lazy” or “tired” in the circle on Monday, allowing her to push through six innings. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
After back-to-back losses to Kamiak (10-5 on April 26) and Arlington (10-8 on April 28), McClure held certain players not performing up to standards out of the lineup for the rest of the week. Rather than getting down on themselves, those players stepped up in their Senior Night win against Shorewood (5-0 on May 2) as well as Monday’s win against Archbishop Murphy.
“(It’s) why we’re able to be successful today in a game that really, really mattered,” McClure said. “Because instead of creating fractures, because we were held accountable, they came closer together. And I think that’s a real good mark of a team that can go a long way if they stick together.”
Winning the Wesco South title was the first check mark, and now the Warriors have their eyes set on winning more on the horizon, with real belief and confidence they can do it. But first, they had some other business to attend to on Monday evening.
“Hey, let’s go get ice cream!” McClure shouted as he walked off the field following the interview. He was met with enthusiastic whoops and cheers.
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