Timberline junior Nevaeh Haagen continued her other-worldly start to the 2026 season, blasting her sixth home run while striking out 14 batters as the Blazers defeated Central Kitsap 5-4 in Silverdale.
Haagen has homered in five consecutive games and has recorded 14 punchouts in back-to-back starts in the circle.
The Cougars scored first on an error by the Blazers in the first inning before Haagen struck out three. Timberline responded with two runs in the second, fueled by Porsha Miller’s RBI triple. She then scored on a wild pitch to give Timberline the lead.
A two-out RBI triple by Central Kitsap’s Adalyn Flaugher tied the game in the fourth, and the Blazers retook the lead off an error by the Cougars. In the fifth, Haagen crushed a two-run shot into the parking lot behind the left-field fence to give Timberline a 5-2 advantage.
The final three outs were laborious for Haagen. She gave up a leadoff single in the seventh before striking out the next two Cougars. But two singles later, it was a one-run ballgame. With the tying run at first base, Haagen struck out Brooklyn Gordon to end the game.
“CK is always a tough team. They put the ball in play and run the bases well, so we really had to be on our defensive game,” Timberline head coach Lynsi Polanco said. “We had some really big plays from our outfielders today that helped keep the score close. Small ball was key for us to take advantage of putting runners in scoring position. Luckily, we had enough runs to prevent a late rally from costing us the game. We talk a lot about performing under pressure, and today was one of those days.”
Timberline (9-2, 9-0 Puget Sound League) is now the only unbeaten team remaining in PSL play. The Blazers will welcome Bellarmine (6-5, 5-3 Puget Sound League) Monday afternoon.
