Lady Raiders get first win at state tourney

The Lady Raiders notched their first-ever win at the state tournament last week before losing two more games to knock them out of the competition.

The Lady Raiders ended their season ranked eighth among the state's 48 teams in the 2B classification, with a 19-7 overall win-loss record.

Head Coach Jaci Gross said the team has been to the WIAA state tournament in Yakima four times, but hadn't won a game there until they beat the Liberty (Spangle) Lancers in their first game on May 24 in the opening round of the tournament.

It was close game, with two skilled pitchers facing off inning after scoreless inning. LR pitcher Presley Steffens, who had achieved her 200th strikeout the previous week, pitched all seven innings, striking out 15 and allowing only one hit.

"The team was united and strong," Gross said on her Facebook post.

Lake Roosevelt, ranked 12th in the state at that point, out-matched the fifth-ranked Lancers for the 3-1 win.

The afternoon got tougher. Facing a sharp Kittitas team (fourth), LR got blanked 19-0 in the quarterfinals at 2 p.m. that afternoon. With Kittitas up by 10 in the third inning, Assistant Coach Mike Steffens apparently made the decision to put Lola Yazzie in at pitcher, subbing out his daughter after a couple Coyote hits over the fence.

Kittitas would eventually take fourth in the tournament after losing to Pe Ell/Willapa Valley, the next team LR would face.

With a little rest, the Raiders returned at 10 the next morning to play the Titans, who would win 18-3 before going on to defeat Toledo and Kittitas to take third in the state.

Sportsmanship awards went to two Lady Raiders during the tournament.

Sawyer Steffens, who hasn't been able to play all season due to an injury but still faithfully attends practice and games just as she did during basketball season, was recognized for her sportsmanship.

Nautika Brown, the Lady Raiders' third-base player, also was recognized for her sportsmanship.