VANCOUVER The skies clouded up over Vancouvers David Douglas Park on July 21 as two young fastpitch squads took to the field. Rain appeared imminent but held out until after the state final concluded.
The only thing left standing between Stilly Valley and an 11-12-year-old state championship was six innings against a Redmond team they dismissed two days earlier 7-6. Stilly left little doubt the second time around, pelting Redmond 17-2 behind the hitting of Veronica Ladines and Alexa Blakey and all-around stellar defense that left Redmond dazed.
Blakey finished the afternoon 4-4 from the plate with a triple and 5 RBI. Ladines went 4-5 with two doubles, two RBI, and two runs scored. Those two performances stood out on a day where nearly every Stilly hitter scored or drove in a run.
In a testament to the depth and skill of the roster, the only Stilly starter not to record a hit was Kristina Flick, who only registered one official at-bat after walking three times. Flick did manage to score twice, one of seven Stilly hitters to do so. Flick also managed to completely befuddle the Redmond hitters as the Elites starting pitcher.
Never in any serious danger, Flick kept the game under control against a powerful lineup of tall hitters from Redmond. She got plenty of help from her teammates as well.
Stilly jumped on Redmond early, getting a run in the top half of the first inning. Anna Whitehouse was the catalyst behind the rally, drawing a one-out walk before stealing second base. She moved to third base after walks to Lynsey Amundson and Flick and scored on a wild pitch to kick off the offensive fireworks.
Redmond retaliated with a run in the bottom half of the inning, but the second inning would not be so kind to them. Kaylee Aune jumpstarted Stilly with a slap single, she advanced to second on a wild pitch and then took third on a groundout off the bat of Kristin Backstrom. Aune scored on a groundout from Arianna Barrio to put Stilly back in front 2-1.
Then, a flurry of devastation from the bats of Stilly hitters left Redmond stunned. Whitehouse drove a single into left field, Ladines doubled and suddenly Stilly had two runners in scoring position with two outs. Lynsey Amundson hacked a single back up the middle to get a run home and make the score 3-1. Flick walked to load the bases and in a critical situation Alexis Blakey sent a line drive all the way to the fence. Her base clearing triple demoralized the Redmond bunch and Anna Larsons follow-up RBI single left the score at 7-1 headed into the bottom of the second.
Following a well-pitched bottom half by Flick, the Stilly offense produced another run in the third. After a Machyas Gilbertson walk and a wild pitch, Stilly got an RBI single from Ladines to go ahead 8-1.
As Flick continued to cruise along on the mound for Stilly, she benefitted from some excellent defense by Hannah Baird. In the bottom of the third inning, second baseman Baird snagged a low line drive on one hop before casually throwing to first for an out.
By the fourth inning, the game more resembled a coronation than a contest. Everybody in attendance could see Stilly steadily marching toward the title without much trouble. Alexis Blakey and Alexa Chase both singled and scored in the fourth to put Stilly up 10-2 and Flick had a
one-two-three inning on the mound.
The fifth inning saw another Stilly offensive explosion. Two Redmond errors and five Stilly hits put the Elite unapproachably ahead 17-2. All that was left was for Flick to get the final three outs and seal the deal. Flick did just that and the celebration was on for Stilly.
I just have no words to describe this feeling, said Jim Barrio, pausing for a moment to take in the scene following the game, This is one of the biggest accomplishments of my life. Weve been working on this for years always with our eyes set on this title. We made history for the cities of Arlington and Lakewood.
History may just be getting started. The team will face off at the Regional finals coming up July 28-Aug. 5. Chances are good that Stilly will see some exceptional pitching from other State teams, but it is doubtful that any of them can match the depth and production, top to bottom, of the Washington champions.
I think well win the regional, said Alexis Blakey following the championship on Saturday, Were pretty good.
This team has much to celebrate already and has taken its place at the top of the ladder in Washington.
Weve gone from being a punching bag to this in such a short period of time, joked Barrio, Regionals is the next step, the next challenge.