White Pine Softball continues to show that it is one of the best NIAA 2A teams in the state. On May 17, the Ladycats earned state runners-up after losing the championship to Needles.
White Pine Ladycats, the 2A State Runners Up, two years in a row.
Like in the 2A South Regionals, White Pine lost both games to Needles and defeated their other opponent twice in the state tournament.
To begin the state tournament, the Ladycats faced off against Yerington, a team White Pine faced in early February during the first tournament of the season.
White Pine jumped out to a 3-0 lead after two innings before breaking it open in the third when the team batted around and posted a nine-run inning. That game was capped off by a couple of insurance runs to ensure the 10-run mercy rule after five innings to win 14-0.
Senior Kenna Brunson went 2-for-3 with two RBI, a double and a run scored. Fellow senior Gianna Sedlacek went 2-for-4 with an RBI and four runs scored. Sophomore Camden Johnson went 1-for-2 and two walks with three runs and four RBI.
Johnson, Sedlacek and senior Kendra Derbidge all homered in the win.
On the Hill, sophomore Paige Hayward and Sedlacek split the time in the circle. Sedlacek went three innings white striking out two and scattering two hits and a walk. Hayward took the other two innings. She struck out three while allowing two walks and a hit.
For the fifth time this season, White Pine faced Needles, with the winner advancing to the championship game.
White Pine jumped out to a 4-2 lead after three innings. The Ladycats then scored three in the fifth to take a 7-2 lead. However, Needles scored nine times in the ensuing half innings to take the lead. That led to the Ladycats losing 14-7 and a prime opportunity to get the first against Needles this season.
Offensively, White Pine pounded out 11 hits with Johnson, Sedlacek and sophomore Layla Ruesch each recording 2-for-4 performances as Ruesch had three RBI and Johnson had two RBI.
Hayward got the start against Needles, looking good over the first four innings before Needles got to her. Hayward went 5.1 innings allowing 10 hits, seven runs (five earned) and three walks. Then, Johnson got the final two outs. Needles took advantage of a couple of White Pine miscues, leading to seven unearned runs.
As a result, White Pine was back into the losers bracket needing to turn the page, just like in the regionals when it faced Lincoln County 30 minutes after losing to Needles.
White Pine faced off against Yerington once again. Both teams posted two runs each in the first inning before White Pine outscored Yerington 4-2 in the second to take a 6-4 lead. The Ladycats added two in the fourth. However, Yerington punched back with one in the fifth to cut its lead down to three, 8-5.
Then in the sixth, White Pine got that run back before Yerington cashed in two runs. However, White Pine got some insurance in the end with a run to close it out with a 10-7 win and return to the state championship game.
Brunson and juniors Cecilia Barbosa and Presley Skadburg all recorded two hits in the win as Brunson logged a triple.
Although Sedlacek did not record a hit, she scored once and had three RBI, along with two stolen bases.
Sedlacek also got the start, going five innings, while allowing nine hits, six runs (four earned), two walks while striking out two. Then Hayward came in to close it out, allowing two hits and an unearned run to move on.
White Pine moved on to its second straight state championship game appearance against Needles.
The Ladycats faced the same pitcher they did in all five previous meetings this season.
However, White Pine’s bats went quiet, only mustering two hits in a 10-0 loss to Needles. The two players that recorded a hit were Barbosa and Johnson.
Hayward once again got the start, going three innings, and allowing all 10 runs. Then Sedlacek came in and fired a clean fourth inning before Needles closed it out.
White Pine caps off its season with a lot to smile about reaching back-to-back state championships games and doing so as a No. 3 seed in the regionals.
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