FORKS — It was a very good weekend for the North Olympic girls of Port Angeles, as they claimed three state softball championships in four divisions of play, and made a strong showing in the other.
In addition, the Forks 10U softball team earned its first berth in the regional championships in eight years.
All state softball tournament games were held at either Duncan Field or Tillicum Park in Forks.
The North Olympic 16U team started things by taking the best two of three from Hoquiam.
After losing its first game 3-0, Port Angeles fought back, coming from a 4-2 deficit in the second game to quiet a very loud and rambunctious Hoquiam crowd with three runs in the bottom of the seventh to win 5-4 and force a Game 3.
In the deciding contest, North Olympic jumped to a 3-0 lead, only to see Hoquiam score four runs to gain the advantage.
In the fifth inning, slap hitter Carly Gouge fooled the Hoquiam outfield that was playing her to bunt, hitting one over the right-fielder’s head and circling the bases to tie the game.
Then in the bottom of the first extra inning with two runners aboard, Ashlee Reid sent one down the left-field line to plate a run and send Hoquiam packing — another 5-4 win for Port Angeles and the state tourney title.
14U title action
In 14U play, North Olympic benefitted from the effort of a Forks team that forced Hoquiam to use all of its pitchers to gain a 14-12 win, only to face a fresh Port Angeles team in the title game.
In the only championship game that wasn’t close, the Port Angeles girls effectively put the game away in the first inning, then used everyone in a 19-7 rout.
12U championship
The 12U bracket proved a bit more difficult for North Olympic.
Reaching the winner’s bracket final on Friday, North Olympic defeated Upper Kittitas 8-3 on Saturday morning, then took Ellensburg 4-1 in a tight semifinals game Saturday night.
Awaiting the loser’s bracket finalist for the championship game, the Port Angeles girls again were confronted by Ellensburg, which defeated Hoquiam by a 4-1 score.
The championship game was a barn-burner as North Olympic scored twice, Ellensburg answered with a pair, and then no one could get on the board in spite of some chances, including two North Olympic outs at the plate after well-hit balls were followed by perfect plays by Ellensburg.
The game went into extra innings with the score tied 2-2.
Finally in the top of the ninth inning, Callie Hall — who had come on to pitch in the sixth — managed to sneak a ball through the infield and drive in what turned out to be the winning run in the 3-2 game.
10U state action
In 10U competition, North Olympic played well but wasn’t destined to make it 4 for 4 for Port Angeles in state titles.
Saturday in bracket play, North Olympic fell to Hoquiam 11-7 to fall into the loser’s bracket, where Port Angeles survived by defeating Othello 9-2.
On Sunday morning, the Port Angeles girls again were pitted against Hoquiam, and the Harbor girls proved the first game was no fluke, eliminating North Olympic 10-6.
Forks 10U team
There were lots of tears in Forks Sunday, but they were happy tears, as a group of 10U girls from Forks qualified for the regional softball tourney for the first time in eight years.
They had the home-field advantage, but they did not need it as Forks fell only to perennial power Ellensburg, and then only 2-1 in the opening game of pool play.
They followed that up with a 6-3 win over North Olympic, another rarity, as the last time a Forks team beat a North Olympic team was in that 2004 regional tourney eight years ago.
In their final pool play game, the Forks girls beat Bellingham 6-3.
Bracket play saw them meeting Bellingham again, this time winning 9-4 before defeating Othello 5-2 to reach their first-ever winner’s bracket final.
There, powerhouse Ellensburg scored two late runs to defeat the Forks girls 6-4, and Forks fell again on a late rally in the loser’s bracket final to Hoquiam, 5-4.
Forks still qualified for the 10U regional championships.
The Forks’ little team that could will join the Port Angeles 16U, 14U and 12U title teams at the Babe Ruth regional softball tournament starting July 19 in Hoquiam.
11U Cal Ripken action
The North Olympic boys 11U tournament team had to settle for fourth place at the Cal Ripken state championship after a 13-2 loss to Ellensburg.
Ellensburg scored first, recording one run in the top of the first inning, but North Olympic answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning when Ryan Begley hit a line drive that scored Joel Wood and Gavin Guerrero, who had already reached base on singles.
In the third inning, each team added an additional run with North Olympic’s coming on an RBI-double by Guerrero.
Johnnie Young started on the mound for North Olympic and pitched three strong innings before reaching his allowable limit.
Colton McGuffey and Guerrero shared relief duties but, unfortunately, errors proved to be the difference in the contest with the normally sure-handed North Olympic boys committing seven during six innings.
Four of them in the top of the fourth inning allowed Ellensburg to pile on 10 runs.
Guerrero and Wood led the team in hitting by going 2 for 3 each, while Begley, McGuffey and Young went 1 for 3.
Matthew Locke also added a hit, and left fielder Eric Emery made a spectacular over-the-shoulder catch.
The North Olympic team finished 3-3 for the tournament.