Lady Raiders head to state as district champs in softball

The Lady Raiders softball team defeated the top-ranked Okanogan team in Okanogan May 19 to become the District 6 champions for the first time.

LR won the game 9-4.

Okanogan got on the board first in the fourth inning when they scored one run, then LR scored two in the fifth, six in the sixth, and one in the seventh, holding Okanogan to just three more runs, one in the sixth and two in the seventh.

"What a game!" Head Coach Jaci Gross said. "Aaliyah Marchand made her presence known on the mound, and proved what a competitor she is!  Pitching Coach Mike Steffens made the call to put Aaliyah on the mound and she was a machine. The energy from both teams was incredible. But the louder Okanogan got, the faster Aaliyah pitched!  She would not be intimidated for a minute. What a competitor!"

"Sawyer Steffens had one double, but was able to get on base three times and score three runs," Gross said about LR's offense. "Arianna Fosnaugh came through as the designated hitter and knocked in two runs. Aspen Smith had another great week of hitting and scored twice."

Additionally, Halle Albert, Emma Marchand, and Aaliyah Marchand all scored a run, and Nautika Brown contributed by hitting a single.

"We told the team that this was going to be a seven-inning battle, and it was exactly that." Gross said. "We've been talking about this every moment since February. Every day, every play, every pitch brought us to this moment. They deserve this. They put in the work and it paid off. This has been a community effort, no doubt about that. I am so proud of everyone."

"To my knowledge, LR has never been a district champ in softball," Gross said. "This will be my third trip to state, and the fourth trip in LR history."

LR received a bye round in the state tournament Friday morning. They'll play in the second round on Friday, May 27 at 2 p.m. at the Gateway Sports Complex in Yakima, facing the winner of the Goldendale/Colfax game being played earlier that day.