LACEY — Bailey Greenlee thought she had legged out the walkoff infield single and won the state championship.
Instead, the first base umpire called her out to end the inning and sent the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association 3A softball state championship game to the 13th inning.
Bonney Lake then scored four times in the top of the 13th and held Snohomish to a single run in the bottom of the inning for an 8-5 victory and the state title at Regional Sports Complex.
Snohomish (25-2) lost for just the second time this season, while Bonney Lake (26-2) rode the pitching of University of Washington commit Brooke Nelson to the first softball state title in school history.
“What a game,” Snohomish head coach Lou Kennedy said. “(Nelson) is without a doubt one of the best pitchers I’ve ever seen in high school games anywhere. The Huskies are going to love her. I thought we did a heck of a job battling.”
Snohomish scratched out nine hits against Nelson and Greenlee matched her in the circle through the first dozen innings.
Bonney Lake’s big inning came immediately after Greenlee was called out on the bang-bang play at first as Ruby Butler crossed home plate with what would have been the winning run in the bottom of the 12th.
“I thought we had a lot of chances to win the game and we didn’t execute every single time, but I thought that was it,” Greenlee said. “I thought the game was over.”
Snohomish left the bases loaded in the 11th and two on in the seventh and ninth innings. Snohomish stranded 13 runners in the contest.
Kennedy also chose not to focus on the play in the 12th inning.
“I really don’t go there because we had many opportunities to score a run to win the game,” Kennedy said. “There are just far too many outs in a game like that, far too many opportunities to look at one moment.”
Brynn Nelson gave Bonney Lake the game’s initial lead with a run-scoring single in the fourth. Izzy Hansen evened the game with a run-scoring double in the bottom of the fifth, and the game remained tied 1-1 after seven innings.
Beginning with the ninth inning, the international tiebreaker rule was enforced, with each team beginning its turn at bat with a runner on second base. The teams traded single runs in the ninth, 10th and 12 innings.
Snohomish’s Taylor Khorrami robbed Jessica Clark of a two-run home run in the 11th, but Snohomish was unable to plate the winning run in the bottom of the frame as it stranded three runners.
Bonney Lake got a run-scoring single from Brynn Nelson and a two-run double from Desiree Solberg in the top of the 13th to build an 8-4 lead.
Ruby Sugayan singled in Khorrami with two outs in the bottom of the 13 inning to complete the scoring.
“It’s been a great year, and the senior class is amazing,” Kennedy said. “There are 10 really good players sitting here, so we’re going to be fine.”
Sami Reynolds, Hansen and Sugayan each had two hits to lead Snohomish at the plate. Brynn Nelson had four hits and drove in two runs for Bonney Lake.
Greenlee struck out 14 and allowed nine hits.
“I think this weekend we came together more than we ever have,” said Greenlee, who will pitch next year at Missouri State University. “A lot of players clutched up in getting things done, and I’m extremely impressed with what we were able to pull off.”
The Panthers reached the championship game by defeating Wesco 3A North rival Marysville Pilchuck 3-1 in the semifinals on Saturday morning.
Greenlee went the distance in the circle for her fourth win over the Tomahawks this season. She fanned six and scattered four hits on 97 pitches. MP’s lone run came on a McKenzie Justice solo home run in the bottom of the second inning.
Snohomish got the only two runs it needed in the top of the first when Butler led off with a triple and scored on a Reynolds run-scoring single. Greenlee then drove home Reynolds with another single.
Reynolds finished with three hits.
Justice went the distance in the circle for MP. She fanned five and allowed eight hits.
The Tomahawks then saw their season come to an end when they fell 12-2 to Redmond in the consolation semifinals. Redmond scored seven runs in the first two innings and plated four more in the bottom of the fifth to end the game via the mercy rule.
Katie Barrett had two hits and drove in a run for the Tomahawks while Jacia Cook drove in a run and scored a run.
MP ended its season with a record of 22-6.
Bonney Lake’s Brynn Nelson is called safe after a tag attempt by Snohomish’s Ruby Butler on Saturday 3A softball championship game at the Regional Athletic Complex in Lacey. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)
Snohomish’s Taylor Khorrami makes a diving grab with teammate Samantha Reynolds (right) closing Saturday during the 3A softball championship game at the Regional Athletic Complex in Lacey. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)
Kevin Clark / The Herald Snohomish’s Bailey Greenlee reacts Saturday after the Panthers lost to Bonney Lake in the 3A softball championship game at the Regional Athletic Complex in Lacey.
