1B High School Softball: Naselle banks invaluable experience at State Tournament (2024)

YAKIMA — When the Comets loaded up their vans to head for the Palm Springs of Washington for the 1B State Softball Tournament they already knew they were playing with house money. And while any gambler wants to win, no matter the stakes, Naselle knows that simply keeping their postseason traditions alive will improve their odds of a big pay off later.

After placing second in the 1B Columbia Valley League and then finishing in the same spot in the district tournament, Naselle’s adventures at the Gateway Sports Complex in Yakima lasted just two games and 10 combined innings. That abbreviated State run began with an 11-1 loss to Liberty Christian and ended with a 25-5 defeat at the hands of Mossyrock.

“The experience of just being here in this atmosphere is a box checked so that way when we do return, and I say when because it’s going to happen, there’s a level of comfort here,” Naselle coach Rebekkah Wirkkala said.

In their State opener the Comets fell behind in a hurry, surrendering seven runs in the first frame to Liberty Christian. The game settled into a stalemate for the next three innings before the Patriots hung four more runs on the board in the fourth to trip the trigger on the mercy rule.

All told, the Patriots put up 13 hits in their four trips to the plate. Ali Bush led Liberty Christian with a double and a triple to go with two RBIs. Hannah Butcher added a double and two RBIs for the winner.

Butcher also handled the pitching duties, striking out a dozen Comets and allowing just three hits.

Brooklynn Leggett, Evelyn Normand and Jaylee Bonk each notched one hit in the loss. Bonk drove in Naselle’s only run in a doomed fifth inning rally.

Malory Helvey took the loss in the circle after allowing 10 earned runs over four innings. Four errors behind her in the field did little to help Helvey, but she tallied two strikeouts along the way.

“The excitement we see in these young girls that love softball and are hungry to come back; they don’t want this feeling again so it’s going to fuel them to put the work in,” Wirkkala noted.

That loss in their opener on Friday afternoon set the Comets up with a quick turnaround to play their arch nemesis out of Mossyrock. Yes, the same Vikings who topped Naselle for first place in their league and district battles.

That meeting at the state tournament will be the final engagement between the two teams as 1B opponents, with Mossyrock set to bump back up to the 2B level next season.

But after dropping their first three dates this season, their fourth encounter with the Vikings didn’t turn out any better for the Comets. And this time the rivalry loss came with the season hanging in the balance.

Mossyrock plated four runs in the top of the first inning and then nearly tripled down in the second inning by touching home plate 11 more times.

Taking to the circle one more, Helvey managed to record just three outs in the game before getting the hook in the second inning. Normand entered in relief for Naselle and pitched the final four innings. She allowed six earned runs on 10 hits while striking out five batters.

“To see Evelyn step up and pitch, that’s going to spur her on to want to work in the offseason,” Wirkkala said.

By the end of the final chapter the Vikings had pounded out 21 hits to slam the cover shut on Naselle’s story.

Mossyrock’s Erin Cournyer and Maci Rashoff combined to lock down the win by giving up just four earned runs and striking out five batters.

Meanwhile, the Comets managed nine hits in the ballgame. After posting solo runs in both the second and third innings, Naselle tallied their final three scores of the spring in the fourth inning to cut the deficit to 21-5.

Haylee Rose, Brynn Davis, Jessie Smith and Avery Ford all posted doubles for the Comets. Ford finished with two hits and two RBIs to her name, while Davis notched a pair of hits and Smith drove in a run.

The loss closed out the prep career of Brooklyn Avalon, the Comets’ only senior and a five-year varsity player.

“It hurts losing. I’ve never had a harder worker than Avalon,” Wirkkala said. “She’s just this quiet, submissive, hard-working player. And that’s so rare.”

But a player like Avalon can serve as the perfect blueprint for Comets who are looking to stick around and bring home some hardware in the future. As it turns out, Wirkkala is already working on rearing the next generation of Naselle softball players.

After arriving in Yakima the night before their first game, the Comets’ skipper took her team and a secret out to a park and conducted a gender reveal with her husband. When the balloon popped it burst pink, meaning Wirkkala is due to have a baby girl in the offseason.

“I’m always excited when I have a young team because it’s just so energizing and it’s so fun,” Wirkkala said.

Hopefully that sentiment holds true both at home and away.

Naselle finished the season with a record of 7-13.