LACEY — Nevaeh Haagen was loaded with motivation entering Monday’s bout with North Thurston.
Not only was the Timberline junior pitcher facing the Blazers’ rival that broke their hearts the last time they met last spring, but she was also going head-to-head against her younger cousin Isabella Haagen.
With their family in the stands, the eldest Haagen and the Blazers got the best of the youngest Haagen and the Rams, and in emphatic fashion.
Nevaeh Haagen had a perfect day across the board, tossing a five-inning perfect game and batting a perfect 3 for 3 at the plate with six runs batted in. She was a triple shy of hitting for the cycle in the Blazers’ 13-0 rout of North Thurston in Lacey.
Haagen joked that one of the discussion topics at the family Thanksgiving dinner table last November was North Thurston’s comeback from down 14-10 to Timberline on April 28, 2025, a game that saw the Rams rough up Haagen for 10 runs as she exited after 3.1 innings. Isabella Haagen recorded three hits in that game.
After Nevaeh Haagen cranked a three-run home run in the first inning against North Thurston pitcher Syriahs Trolson Monday, head coach Lynsi Polanco cracked a joke with her as she rounded third base.
“They can talk about that!” Polanco said to Haagen.
Haagen’s bomb came on a 2-0 count on the fourth at bat of the game. She came in with an aggressive mindset as she blasted the ball over the fence in center field.
“I was just hoping she’d throw it across the plate. I knew whatever first pitch I got over the plate that I was swinging,” she said. “It just happened to be a home run.”
Timberline’s infielders earned the first two putouts of the afternoon before Haagen took care of business herself for the majority of the game. Her curveball was untouchable, drawing oohs and ahhs from even the Rams dugout. Rams batters in the box turned to their teammates in amazement with the same reaction as one watching a magic trick unfold before their eyes.
“It really makes me happy, especially since they’re our rivals,” Haagen said of seeing those reactions. “My curveball was working today, and then getting them to swing at the drop ball when I got ahead in the count really helped.”
Leilani Palacios padded Timberline’s lead in the third inning, ripping an RBI single to right field to score Leovi Meno-Meyers from second base. The Blazers erupted in the fifth inning to send both teams home early, scoring nine runs on five hits, two errors, two walks and a hit batter.
Brookelyn Read, Abigail Terry and Palacios each earned one RBI, while Brynnli Mayr drove in two with a double and Haagen blew the game open with a bases-clearing double.
Haagen struck out the final five batters she faced and finished with 10 total punchouts. A softball never reached the outfield, and she only reached a three-ball count three times in 15 plate appearances.
“The big thing that we talked about this season was that she was gonna carry the load for us,” Polanco said of Haagen. “She works hard. Last week, we had four games, and one day that we had practice, she still wanted to pitch. She wants to keep working to perfect those pitches that maybe were giving her trouble. We call that a championship mentality.”
Timberline went 3-1 in its four games last week, beating River Ridge 16-2 on Monday, Mount Tahoma 17-1 on Tuesday, Capital 19-0 on Wednesday and losing to Mark Morris 8-1 on Saturday.
North Thurston head coach Sam Harding praised Haagen and her performance, calling her a “competitor” and a “five-tool player.”
“She knows how to hit her spot. She’s tough to beat. She pitched an amazing game,” he said. “We’ve got to be more aggressive and get deeper in the count. Don’t start attacking the first pitch. If you get two strikes on you, you can’t let the third pitch go by as a strike. You’ve gotta battle.”
Timberline (5-2, 5-0 Puget Sound League) will host Lakes Wednesday afternoon, while North Thurston (2-4, 1-3 Puget Sound League) looks to get back on track against Capital (0-6, 0-5 Puget Sound League) at Stevens Field Wednesday.
