And they're off!

No, not horses. Raiders. The Thomas Jefferson Raiders ladies fastpitch team that is. They, yes, they are the ones that made it to state after first rocking the Curtis Vikings, 11-1, in a five inning game shortened due to the 10-run rule. Then they thoroughly bucked off a good Gig Harbor team in the game to go, or not to go, to state. It was a 15-1 stomping of the Kitsap Peninsula school, the Tides, in West Central Distict loser-out playoff action at Sprinker Recreation Center May 19.

"Everybody get up, let's go, let's go," said Shawntay Thong, the team's catcher, starting out the game against Curtis Saturday, May 19 in the morning. She's only a sophomore, but she's obviously got leadership power. And, whether that was it or not, the Raiders seemed on the go, plugged in, from the get-go of that game.

Yeee-ha!

The Raiders scored three runs on three hits in the bottom of the first inning. Brittany Creek opened with a hard hit that was fumbled by the infield so she got to first. Then Sara Byrne sacrifice flied to get Creek in scoring position and Jayme Carbon scored Creek on an RBI single to make it 1-0.

Next Erin Fujita hit in Carbon and then junior third baseman Stephanie Ogle singled. Then freshman shortstop Hannah Kiyohara walked. Then, with the bases loaded, Thong patiently watched out of the strike zone pitches go by her and when she walked it forced in Fujita to make it 3-0, Raiders.

Then in the bottom of the second, the Raiders scored two more on a Fujita 2-RBI single ripped down the third base line to make it 5-1. And the Tides were scored on again and again and again, one in the bottom of the third, four in the bottom of four, and only one was needed in the fifth to end the Gig Harbor season via the Raiders winning on the 10-run rule.

In the second game, the Raiders took off in a charged state of life that just looked like it was carrying over from the first game versus Curtis. But the runs did not show up on the scoreboard until the fourth inning. The reason that the Raiders could not do so much offensively through half the game was that pitcher of Gig Harbor.

"That pitcher was good," said Fahnlander. "She went away from her change-up."

That was bad news to do because the Raiders proved they are a fast pitcher hitting team.

The Raiders scored three runs in the top of four on Carbon reaching base via error, Fujita hit by a pitch and Ogle ogling the crowd with a three-run shot, she connected enough to send the ball over the right fielder way out there.

Ogle it must have surprised the Tide backpedaling to no avail as the ball went over her glove and bounced a long ways for that inside-the-parker.

"Oh yes, she has the power," said Fahnlander.

"That felt really good," said Ogle. "That was a good hit"

And a good pitch?

"Outside corner," said Ogle.

But Ogle knew what to do with it, set that bat on the power swing control.

"I drove it, hit it right on the sweet spot," said Ogle.

Great momentum against a good team, the Tides, who more often than not over the past several years get to state. But not this time. Maybe it was known long before Ogle put that ball in cruise control that this game was going to be the Raiders'.

"We came in knowing we were going to win," said Ogle.

Raiders energy enigmatically, reverberatingly showed all through the game, even early on when Tides ace pitcher Elise Karscig had retired eight of the first nine TJ batters in the first three innings, including striking out the Raiders' side in the first and then two of three batters in the second.

"Oh yeah, our bench was talking tremendously. There was a lot of support, a lot of chatter," said Ogle.

The Raiders just fed off Ogle's big blast in their top half of five. Even with two outs it was only meaning one thing -- two-out rally time!

Brittany Creek barely beat out a grounder hit to the hole past the Tides shortstop. Byrne bunted herself aboard next and Carbon used hustle, too, to beat out a throw to first base and Creek scored on the play and the first baseman not paying attention allowed Byrne to score as well and make it 5-0.

Creek and Kiyohara each made a nice play to get outs in the Tides bottom of five, Kiyohara running in on a grounder and firing from the knees to first to nab the runner in a close play and Creek came in for a bunt to get it and throw in time to first.

Then in the top of six the Raiders continued that two-runs an inning that started in the fourth for them. Ogle walked, Kiyohara sacrifice bunted Ogle to second. Thong drilled the ball to deep center field but the Tides center fielder stuck the glove up in the air, off-balance, one-handed, to catch it. But the next hitter, Halvorsen, was hit by a pitch to load the bases. And then Brittany Still scored a 2-RBI single scoring Ogle and Kiyohara to make it a perfect 7-0 lead.

Finally, the Tides scored in the bottom of the sixth to make it 7-1 on a single and an RBI-single. But Halvorsen, the Raiders' ace that shut down Curtis and Kentridge the two games before in districts, then shut down the Tides in what was starting to be a tense situation. With one runner in, and a runner on third base, Halvorsen got the next batter to hit a chopper to her. Halvorsen fielded it and threw to home in time to get the runner out at the plate via a Thong tag. Then, Halvorsen just clutched up even more, striking out the next two batters in a row to end the Tides' sixth inning threat.

The Raiders then mortally wounded the Tides in the top of the seventh, exploding for eight runs on seven hits and in the process making the Tides pitcher midway through the onslaught just break down in tears on the mound as her teammates came in to surround her sobs.

The first batter up was out, by the way, and, so was the second. So, again, it was a two-out rally but this time of unequaled proportions as Kiyohara, Still, Creek, Byrne, Carbon, Fujita, Ogle, Kiyohara and Thong all hit the ball, with the RBI's to Still, Creek -- who had two, and Carbon, Ogle, Fujita, Kiyohara, and Thong.

So, this team was not the same team that did not heat, that was 'dead' as head coach Chad Fahnlander put it after the district opening 6-1 loss to Central Kitsap.

"No, they were not dead, they were very alive, they have been the last three games," said Fahnlander. "Since the Kentridge game, the defense and pitching has allowed two runs."

Halvorsen pitched steady and thoughtful, using what she knew to get by the Tides.

"I knew what was working," said Halvorsen, answering what she did to get out of the sixth jam.

When asked about her team going to state, she said, "I think we just battled. We really wanted the win. They (the Tides) were good. They were very good."

Halvorsen's location was excellent, with her selection of rising fast pitches and change-speed pitches and just plain good pitches that hitters couldn't hit and Fahnlander tells what helped his Raiders team the most get to where they are in a sport where a good pitcher, like it or not, has more effect on the game than in any other sport.

"She just keeps the ball down, keeps it low, so they can't hit it," said Fahnlander. "They can't elevate the ball and just pound it into the ground."

It's so true. Halvorsen has great location, but when she was being complemented with the statement, "You have great location" to end the reporter's interview, she jumped in before the word location was said.

"Yeah, I have a great team," she said.

Great team. Sounds like it could translate into a long, good goodbye, one with staying power at the grand daddy event of fastpitch for the season.

Ogle is ready for state for one.

"Oh yeah, we are going to state, baby," she said.