The Timberline softball team closed the regular season with a 9-3 victory at Aberdeen two days after a tough loss in the Puget Sound League title game.
Sophia Rodriguez got things started in the second inning with a single and an error by the Bobcats to score Brynnli Mayr from first base. Nevaeh Haagen breezed through the Aberdeen offense in four innings, allowing just one hit while striking out seven.
Leilani Palacios and Mayr each drove in a run in the fourth inning, and Timberline blew the game open with a four-run fifth. Haagen’s RBI triple and Brookelyn Read’s RBI single made it 5-0, and Mayr stayed hot at the plate with a two-run double.
Haagen delivered her second triple of the day in the sixth for her second RBI, and Read capped off a 4-for-4 afternoon with an RBI single.
“Brooke was one of our more solid hitters last year, and we worked a few things recently. I’d say she’s back on track where we need her to be, and right in time,” Timberline head coach Lynsi Polanco said of Read. “She had a day today.”
Aberdeen finally got on the scoreboard with three unearned runs in the sixth, but reliever Porsha Miller struck out six in three innings of work to keep the Bobcats from making a dent in the deficit.
“The battle and eventual loss on Saturday lit a fire in these girls,” Polanco said. “They know we need to play solid defense and put the ball in play, looking for gaps and doing damage at the plate. They did just that today.”
Timberline finishes the regular season with a 16-5 record and 15-1 mark in the Puget Sound League. The Blazers earned the No. 4 seed in the district tournament and will face the winner of the matchup between Silas and Auburn Mountainview Friday in the quarterfinals at the RAC, with the winner clinching a state bid.
“Our mentality has shifted a bit, and we are looking forward to this week and all that comes with it. They have a bit of a chip on their shoulder and want to prove themselves,” Polanco said. “We are better than the outcome of Saturday. Today was just a start in that journey forward.”
