EVERETT — It took the Glacier Peak High School softball team just one loss during this week’s 4A District 1/2 Tournament before it kicked things into gear.
GP took down fourth-seeded Eastlake 9-0 on Friday at the Phil Johnson Ballfields in a winner-to-state matchup, then followed up with a 4-2 win over Kamiak in the third-place game.
The No. 8-seed Grizzlies blazed through the district bracket after a 3-1 loss to Bothell on Monday, rattling off three shutout must-win victories in a row to secure a berth in the state tournament.
“This week has been a coach’s dream,” Glacier Peak coach Stefanie Celix said. “This is what you ask of your players all season long. You ask them to make adjustments, you ask them to do what they need to do and they’ve done it. We are incredibly proud of these girls.”
Glacier Peak beat Issaquah 10-0 and Woodinville 8-0 on Wednesday.
With neither the Wolves (13-12) or the Grizzlies (20-4) getting on the board early, Glacier Peak got hot in the bottom of the third to put up a four-spot as senior Laila Carpenter drove in the first run with an RBI single.
A two-run homer later in the third from junior Maya Mesa had the Grizzlies in rhythm on offense the rest of the way.
In the sixth, GP kept it rolling as Carpenter delivered a three-run homer to take an 8-0 cushion.
Senior Faith Jordan pitched a full game in the circle for the Grizzlies. Jordan, along with Mesa, have both been key catalysts in Glacier Peak’s stout defensive effort at districts.
“Our pitching combo is amazing,” Celix said. “Between Faith and Maya … every time they step up there, we know they are gonna do their job, and our defense knows it and they respond.”
In a bi-district bracket featuring 10 teams, with four potential state berths on the line, all three Wesco 4A schools that competed earned a state spot — Glacier Peak, Kamiak and Jackson.
“It really shows you how tough Wesco is,” Celix said. “When you got three out of the four going to state, it tells you this is a competitive league.”
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