Battle Ground youth softball season ends at state

After claiming the District 6 title and earning a spot in the Washington 9/10 Softball State Tournament in La Center, the Battle Ground girls stumbled early, but earned two hard-fought wins before being bounced in a 7-4 defeat to Soundview on July 17.

Battle Ground got off on the wrong foot in their opening match on July 13 with the all-stars from District 8, falling behind early and losing 13-3 in the double-elimination format. Needing a victory, they came back strong the next day, building a 10-run lead on North Whidbey of District 11 before cruising to a 14-4 win.

Battle Ground needed every run they could muster on July 15 against District 12’s hard-hitting Upper Valley team, erupting for a 30-14 win. Against Soundview, Battle Ground was down early, 4-1 until their offense came alive late in the game.

Vivian Martin’s two-run home run capped a three-run comeback to tie it 4-4 and send the game into extra innings. Unfortunately, Soundview managed to post three runs in the extra frame, while keeping Battle Ground scoreless and sending them home for the season.

Despite being ousted, Battle Ground assistant coach Mike Traffalis said he couldn’t be more proud of the work his team did during the week.

“The Battle Ground girls played some of best softball the coaches have ever seen,” Traffalis said. “They fought hard the whole way and made it to the fourth round and just came up a little short.”

Manager Randy Skinner said his team never quit and faced some of the best competition in the state over their three-day run.

“They played with a lot of guts and used stellar defense and drive to mount comebacks when they needed to,” Skinner said. “It was a great tournament and the girls got an experience of a lifetime.”