Juanita softball finishes state with co-third place trophy | Prep softball playoffs

Wild weather and a delayed start to the 3A girls state softball tournament set the Juanita Rebels up to become co-third place finishers with five other schools.

The tournament, which was supposed to begin last Friday, was delayed until Saturday because of inclement weather.

Juanita started off the tournament Saturday morning, beating Mt. Rainier 10-5 in the first round. The Rebels were down 3-0 going into the fourth inning, but an explosion in the bottom of the fourth lifted Juanita to a 4-3 lead. The Rebels kept the hits coming with another six runs in the sixth inning, for a 10-3 lead. Mt. Rainier added two more in the seventh for the final score.

Kylie Sparks was 2-3 during the game with a double and 3 RBI, while Rachel O'Neill was 2-2 with a double and an RBI.

In the next round Juanita found themselves up against Sedro Woolley, the team that would go on to become state champions.

Sedro Woolley beat the Rebels 8-0 on Saturday afternoon. They got to a quick start, leading 3-0 at the end of the first and continued to add the lead, only going without runs in three of the games seven innings. Juanita had four hits during the game, but couldn't turn the hits into runs.

Moving into the consolation bracket the Rebels beat Franklin Pierce late Saturday night 14-1.

In a short game, ending after five innings, Juanita started off with a 5-1 lead in the first, extending it to 7-1 at the end of the third and 14-1 after a seven run fourth inning.

Brooke Rychard was 3-3 with a home run during the game, while Jessica Leach was 3-3 and Kellie Shinstrom hit a double.

Had the tournament not gotten off to a late start the Rebels would have go on to play Bonney Lake in the consolation quarterfinals, and possibly Everett in the consolation semifinals, but instead the WIAA awarded all remaining consolation teams with a co-third place finish. Those teams included Bellevue, Union, West Valley of Yakima, Everett and Bonney Lake.

Contact Kirkland Reporter writer Megan Managan at mmanagan@kirklandreporter.com.

Comment on this story.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.