AUBURN - Madison Lowrey's sixth inning RBI double burst a 2-2 standoff and sent unbeaten Bonney Lake-Sumner to a 3-2 win Friday against Soundview-Steel Lake for the championship of the 2007 Washington State District 10 Little League Softball All-Star tournament at Brannan Park.
The hit disintegrated a dynamic duel between BL-S hurler Randi Johnson and SV-SL mound master Alex Destephano.
Soundview-Steel Lake's contact hitters were regularly foiled by balls that were hit directly at smooth fielding players.
Two first inning BL-S runs were the margin through four innings as Destephano increased the intensity on the hill.
"I felt like I was giving only ninety per cent (at the start), so I decided to pick it up a notch," explained the courageous competitor. "I just had to push harder and work on my mechanics."
Destephano's five-hitter with eight strikeouts matched well against Johnson's four-hitter with four strikeouts.
Summoning up formidable will power, Soundview-Steel Lake surged back in the fifth inning. Leadoff batter Stephanie Wong singled before eventually stealing second base and advancing to third on the overthrow to second. Rachel Ward drilled a 1-out single for a run and advanced to second. Sammy Townsend followed with an infield grounder that was played to third base. Unable to tag the oncoming runner, the infielder then overthrew first base, allowing the tieing run to score and setting up Lowrey's heroics.
Even in defeat, the SV-SL players stood tall.
"Well, I'm proud of my team because it's like the farthest they've ever gotten in the whole thing, like ever," bubbled Ward.
Bonney Lake-Sumner sidetracked SV-SL with a 4-3 win in the tournament opener for both squads. Soundview-Steel Lake rebounded off the ropes for a tense 3-2 verdict against Fife-Milton/Edgewood before a 13-2 mauling of Kent attained the title round.
SV-SL's principles of participation fared well throughout the tournament.
"The teams that give up are usually the teams that go home as losers," proclaimed Soundview-Steel Lake manager Doug Townsend. "It doesn't matter what the numbers are. If you give it your best shot, you're going to be okay. We talked about being the tree - letting the bad stuff slide by and don't hit you and stay focused on the skills that you have. The result is what it is...I was really proud of them."
Soundview-Steel Lake players are Rachel Ward, Annalise Quach, Sammy Townsend, Marissa Townsend, Katelyn Dilworth, Kourtney McCann, Lauren Jones, Stephanie Wong, Alex Destephano, Megan Reddaway and Kaitlyn Sharp. Coach Bruce Jones assisted manager Townsend.
