SEDRO-WOOLLEY – It was a wild Saturday at Janicki Fields, as Whatcom County came into the day with four of the six teams remaining in the 1A bi-district tournament. Only two state berths would be granted, and Whatcom County did it again by capturing both spots.
CONSOLATION ROUND:
Lynden Christian 19, Nooksack Valley 9
Lynden Christian 4, Cedar Park Christian 1
Lynden Christian 19, Nooksack Valley 9
The Lyncs exploded offensively, scoring in every inning, including six runs in both the third and fifth innings. Senior right fielder Sharlotte Whittern led offensively with a single, a double and a homerun to go along with her three runs scored and five runs batted in. Sophomore pitcher Kassidy VanSoest hit her third homerun of the tournament, while Annie Zylstra, Taylor Craig and Tess VanLoo each had a pair of hits. Maclay VanSoest also walked five times. The Pioneer offense was again strong, with two homeruns by junior centerfielder Lainey Kimball and another homer by senior first baseman Ella Perry, but it wasn’t enough to keep the season alive. Nooksack Valley closed out its year with a 9-14 record.
W: K. VanSoest (13-11)
L: Bartl
LC: Whittern 3-3, 2B, HR, 5 RBI, 3 R, BB; Zylstra 2-3, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB, HBP; Craig 2-5, 2 R; VanLoo 2-3, 2B, RBI, 2 R, BB; Ke. Korthuis 1-1, RBI, 2B, 2 R, 3 BB; K. VanSoest 1-4, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB.
NV: Dykstra 3-4, 2B, 3 R, BB; Perry 3-3, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB; Anderson 2-5, 2B, RBI, R; Kimball 2-4, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2 R, BB; Mason 1-4; Ross 1-3, RBI, BB; DeHoog 1-3, R.
Lynden Christian 4, Cedar Park Christian
The Lyncs kept their season alive again, this time by getting past top-ranked Cedar Park Christian. A first-inning single by Sharlotte Whittern scored Karsyn Postma and Annie Zylstra to give LC an early 2-0 advantage. The Eagles would get one back in the bottom of the fourth on a solo homerun, but that would be all the offense they could muster as Lynden Christian put across two more in the top of the sixth when Kassidy VanSoest doubled home Whittern and Maclay VanSoest. Postma led with a pair of hits, including a double.
W: K. VanSoest (14-11)
LC: Postma 2-4, 2B, R; Ke. Korthuis 1-3; Zylstra 1-4, R; Whittern 1-2, 2 RBI, R, BB; K. VanSoest 1-3, 2B, 2 RBI; VanLoo 1-1.
BI-DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIP:
Blaine 8, Mount Baker 7
The Borderites started out hot, scoring three runs in the first two innings, with the Mountaineers getting one back in the top of the third. But, Blaine scored twice more in the bottom of the third, one on a single by Mesa Puls which scored Avery Snow, and Puls then scored on a single by Shaylie Daniels. The fifth run of the game forced Baker to switch it up in the circle, and put in sophomore Maddie Jungquist. The Mountie offense caught on fire in the top of the fifth inning when Annalee Cohn led off with a double down the left field line. She then scored when Lauren Valum followed up with a single up the middle. Gracie Zender walked, Valum scored on a wild pitch and Jeretky walked. Still without an out in the inning, and the tying run on base, senior Piper Nissen came in to pitch. She was able to strike out the next hitter, but a single by Ella Maloley scored Natalie VanLiew who was running for Zender. Nissen struck out the next batter, but gave up a bases loaded walk, which scored Jeretzky to tie the game at five. The Borderites scored twice more in the bottom of inning to break the tie when Jordyn Vezzetti’s single scored Nissen and Puls with two outs. Valum led off the top of the sixth with a sharp single up the middle, and two batters later it was Jeretzky who launched her 10th homerun of the season over the center field wall to tie the game at seven. The score held for an inning, but Blaine was able to get runners on with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. With the bases loaded, a wild pitch allowed Daniels to sprint in from third base and score the winning run in a cloud of dust before the tag could be applied, and the Borderites punched their first ticket to state fastpitch since 2010. Blaine will be in action in Richland on Friday at 1:00 when it faces the winner between Riverside and Kiona-Benton.
W: Nissen (5-0)
L: Jungquist (1-1)
BLA: Daniels 4-4, RBI, 2 R, BB; J. Vezzetti 3-5, 3 RBI; Nissen 2-3, 3 R, HBP; Wright 2-2, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB, HBP; Puls 2-4, RBI, 2 R; Snow 1-3, R, BB.
MB: Valum 2-5, RBI, 2 R; Jimmie 2-4; Cohn 1-3, R, BB; Jeretzky 1-3, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB; Maloley 1-4, RBI; Jungquist 1-3, RBI, BB.
2nd Place Game:
Lynden Christian 13, Mount Baker 2
It came down to the final game, and momentum played a big part in it. The first three innings has a very quick pace, and the Mountaineers held a 1-0 lead going into the fourth. When Sharlotte Whittern led off the top of the fourth with a homerun on the first pitch she saw, it gave LC a much needed shot in the arm. Senior Karlie Korthuis followed up with a single, but the game changer was when Kassidy Van Soest’s follow up line drive single caught Mountie pitcher Ava Jeretzky on her pitching hand. After a few practices pitches, Jeretzky’s injury was too much to overcome and she had to come out of the game. Although Maddie Jungquist had pitched well all season, including in the tournament, the Lynden Christian offense could do no wrong as it put across 12 more runs over the next two innings. Senior catcher Karsyn Postma had three hits, including a triple to go along with her game-high five RBI’s. Kenadi Korthuis, Whittern and Kassidy VanSoest also had three hits each. Junior second baseman Lauren Valum led Baker offensively with three hits, including a triple, and she also knocked in the only two Mountaineer runs. The Lyncs will move on the 1A state tournament for the first time since 2019 and will face Columbia at 3:00 on Thursday in Richland a loser-out contest. Mount Baker’s season ended with a 15-9 record.
W: K. VanSoest (15-11)
L: Jeretzky (14-8)
LC: Ke. Korthuis 3-4, 2 RBI, 2 R; Postma 3-4, 3B, 5 RBI, 2 R; Whittern 3-4, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R; K. VanSoest 3-4, RBI, R; Ka. Korthuis 1-3, R, BB; Craig 1-3, RBI, R, BB.
MB: Valum 3-3, 3B, 2 RBI; Cohn 2-4, R; Barter 1-2, BB; Maloley 1-3, R.
