TACOMA — Of all the softball teams in Snohomish County, no one expected that Everett would be the team with a chance at a state championship game Saturday.
Coming into the tournament, the Wesco 4A teams were more experienced and deeper. Even Granite Falls on the 2A side entered the week with just a single loss.
But the Seagulls turned a big lemon — in the form of incessant rain Friday that forced the WIAA to try to fit both 3A and 4A tournaments into one day at SERA field in Tacoma — and made lemonade.
If it wasn’t for a 7-5 loss to Bainbridge in the 3A semifinals, the Seagulls had a chance to have a very sweet ending to a season that began with question marks rather than expectations.
“I think that we did great,” co-captain Chailah Formon said. “Being so young and coming this far, I am just amazed. Being the only senior, I love this group of girls.”
Even up against the ropes with the defending state champions up by five heading into the seventh inning, the Seagulls fought and clawed until the final out when sophomore Lauren Kesterson grounded to winning pitcher Lauren Reichert with the potential tying runs on first and second.
“It’s awesome,” Everett coach Kyle Peacocke said. “We have such a young team, just the one senior and these girls have battled all year long. They played their hearts out today. We are very happy about taking home a third place trophy.”
Due to the compressed schedule, some of the consolation games were eliminated and instead of playing for different trophies the six teams in each division that won twice Saturday all shared third place.
After winning 9-4 over Camas to begin the day, the Seagulls got about 15 minutes to catch their breath before needing eight innings to get past Prairie 8-7. That win earned them almost an hour’s break before taking the field with Bainbridge.
The compressed schedule put a lot of pressure on every player. Co-Captain Anna Hudson caught all 22 innings with no relief, but no one felt the burn more than sophomore pitcher Lexi Levin.
Levin, a southpaw who began pitching regularly for the first time this season, had never pitched back-to-back games before. She was the reason the Seagulls even made state and she wore the fatigue on her sleeve in the bottom of the fifth against the Spartans when she gave up three runs — all coming after she got the first two outs.
Levin had already tossed a complete game and pitched five innings in the first two rounds, against Bainbridge she relieved Abbey Facey, who pitched well in the final two games but hasn’t logged many innings this year and ran into trouble in the third inning.
“It’s trying to fight not being physically tired,” Levin said. “Your arm is hurting and your legs are gone.”
Under the lights of the championship game Peacocke beamed, when talking about Levin, who may give the Seagulls a chance to take another step in her junior season.
“I couldn’t be happier. … She’s got a lot of heart and she battled through it,” he said. “It’s going to make her better for next year.”
Formon — and virtually all the girls — had tears in her eyes after the seventh-inning rally fell short, but she was already making plans to again be a part of this special group that bonded in the hotel room with nothing to do but wait Friday.
“I’m going to be here next year at the state tournament cheering my girls on,” said the senior after her final game.
At SERA Fields
Everett0200003—5 10 3
Bainbridge011131x—7 9 3
Facey, Levin (3), Facey (5) and Hudson. Baker, Reichert (3) and McCormick. WP—Reichert. LP—Facey. 2B—Shaver (E), Willmann (B), Reichert (B) Records— Bainbridge 28-5, Everett 19-8
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