The North Thurston softball team couldn’t keep up with Enumclaw in the first round of the District 3 3A Tournament Friday, losing 17-7 in five innings to fall into the consolation bracket.
The loss snapped a five-game winning streak for the Rams, who had outscored their opponents 104-13 during that stretch. After each team scored a run in the first inning at the soggy Regional Athletic Complex, North Thurston took a 3-1 lead in the second inning by way of an RBI single by freshman Lucia Green and a sacrifice fly by sophomore Isabella Haagen.
In the bottom of the second, Enumclaw’s batters went to work against Rams starter Syriahs Trolson. The Hornets smacked seven consecutive hits to lead off the inning, scoring seven runs to pull ahead 7-3. North Thurston’s Alyvia Belton drove in a run in the third, but Enumclaw stayed hot in the bottom of the third with four more runs, highlighted by a three-run home run by Ava Lim.
The Rams scrapped for three runs in the fourth, with two coming from a single by Trolson. But they left the bases loaded down by four runs. Enumclaw put the game out of reach by scoring two in the fourth inning and four in the fifth. North Thurston stranded eight total runners, including five in scoring position.
“We played as expected in the drowning weather today. We just weren’t able to capitalize when we had players [in scoring position,” North Thurston head coach Sam Harding said. “Enumclaw hit really well today. They hit lots of gaps. Our defense was solid. We made some amazing plays, but it was just too little, too late.”
Saihdee Trolson finished 3 for 3 at the plate with two runs scored and a double, and her sister Syriahs went 2 for 2 with two RBIs. Paige Guyer added a pair of hits, including a double.
In order for North Thurston (13-8) to qualify for its first state tournament since 2015, the Rams, seeded ninth in the tournament, must first defeat a familiar foe in Gig Harbor (14-5) Saturday in a rematch of a wild season-opener. The Rams surrendered an 11-0 lead in that March 16 contest and lost 15-13.
If North Thurston can get past the Tides, the Rams will face either Silas (8-14) or Kentlake (12-7) in a winner-to-state elimination game Saturday afternoon.
“I’m hoping to bounce back tomorrow. Looking for a better day, and we’re a much different team than when we played in the first game of the season,” Harding said.
