LACEY — The Timberline Blazers plucked a monkey off their back.
A week after falling in the Puget Sound League title game in heartbreaking fashion to Central Kitsap, Timberline got revenge on the Cougars with a 19-2 romp in five innings in the District 3 3A Tournament semifinals Saturday.
Unfortunately for the Blazers, another monkey hopped on their back in another championship game.
Timberline advanced to the district title game for the first time under ninth-year head coach Lynsi Polanco but was outmatched by Peninsula 9-5 Saturday night.
The Blazers had approximately one hour and 21 minutes between its semifinal and final game, while Peninsula had just 19 minutes between the last pitch of its semifinal win over White River and the championship bout.
“They dug a hole, and that energy just went down. It’s just about finding that fight inside of them, and they found it in the seventh inning but it was too late,” Timberline head coach Lynsi Polanco said of the title game.
Timberline played with a chip on its shoulder against Central Kitsap in a rematch that seemed inevitable. Several members of the Cougars dugout wore Puget Sound League championship shirts, which only added fuel to the fire burning within the Blazers, who took full advantage of that fire. Kayleese Dorfner put Timberline on the board in the first inning, blasting an RBI triple just before the fence in right field.
Freshman Brynnli Mayr, who earned her first career multi-homer game and first five-RBI game against Central Kitsap in the PSL title match, proved that the Cougars are unwise to pitch to her. In the first three innings of the semifinal, she cranked two more no-doubt home runs, first on a solo shot to center field in the second inning and then followed up a Brookelyn Read RBI double in the third with a three-run blast to left field.
Mayr’s first homer of the season didn’t arrive until April 20, but she is up to six moonshots this season.
“She’s definitely locked in right now. She hit her stride at the right time,” Polanco said. “She loves facing CK. I think she’s got their number. It’s inspiring in a lot of ways to know that we have that for the next three years. It’s something to look forward to because she’s only going to get better.”
Up 6-0 after three, the Blazers slammed their foot onto the gas pedal in the fourth, bringing 11 batters to the plate and scoring six runs on six hits, including a two-run double by Leovi Meno-Meyers and a three-run bomb by Dorfner, to put Timberline ahead 12-0.
Central Kitsap temporarily stopped the bleeding with an Olivia Keehn solo home run and an RBI double by Scarlett Mabe in the fourth, but the Blazers delivered the final blow with a seven-run fifth inning.
Porsha Miller started the game for Timberline, going four innings while allowing two runs, one of which was unearned, on two hits and two walks while striking out one. Nevaeh Haagen entered in the fifth and worked a perfect frame, notching a pair of strikeouts.
“We always say, ‘All gas, no brakes.’ That game was all gas, no brakes,” Polanco said. “Getting that win and showing them what they’re capable of after the loss was important for them to get in that right championship mentality.”
After the semifinal victory, Timberline had plenty of time to maintain its championship mentality as the other semifinal between White River and Peninsula was not far along at the time when Timberline threw its final pitch.
Once Peninsula finished off White River, the Blazers finished their meals on the concourse and moved to the dugout, where they danced and sang along to music to hype themselves up. Then, the Seahawks entered their dugout and blasted their own playlist, and for a solid 10 minutes, it seemed like the two dugouts were determined to see who could have the loudest music and most pregame energy.
Pregame energy? Advantage to Timberline. But midgame energy? Different story.
Haagen and Abby Hoyt were engaged in a pitcher’s duel for the first three innings, with the Seahawks gaining a slight edge with two runs in the second inning. Hoyt retired nine of the first 10 Blazers she faced, but two singles in the fourth led to a sacrifice fly by Read to make it 2-1 Peninsula.
The Seahawks landed a blow in the bottom of the fourth inning. They loaded the bases with no one out before McKenna Peterson scored two with a single to left field. A passed ball and a sacrifice groundout put two more runs on the board, giving Peninsula a 6-1 advantage.
Peninsula extended its lead in the fifth with an RBI groundout by Asanti Perez and a two-run double by Peterson, who finished with three hits and five RBIs. Timberline converted with the bases loaded in the sixth inning, as Mayr lined the first pitch she saw to center field to plate two runs. Sophia Wiggs added a run via a groundout.
Miller, who replaced Haagen in the circle in the fifth inning, avoided any damage in the sixth following two singles to start the frame, setting up her offense with a five-run deficit. The only run Timberline could muster in the seventh was an RBI single by Haagen, and the Blazers stranded two. With the win, Peninsula secured its third district title in the past five years.
“We had that chip on our shoulder and revenge to get CK, but we really wanted the district championship,” Polanco said. “We battled these guys hard the last time we played them. We came back and won it in the bottom of the ninth inning. [Peninsula] came into this game with that chip on their shoulder. We just need to respond a little bit better.”
Timberline (18-6) is still headed to the 3A state tournament and will learn its next opponent Sunday when the bracket is released. The Blazers are expected to start in the second round May 22.
