Central Whidbey Little League softball sluggers are still chasing state tourney success. (Kristi Stevens photo)
Their record got dinged, but not their spirit.
Missing a key player and down another one due to an in-game injury, the Central Whidbey Island Little League Majors softball team absorbed its first loss Wednesday night.
Playing against tourney favorite South Hill, which includes players from Auburn, Puyallup, and Kent, the Wolves fell 17-0 at the state championships in Vancouver.
There’s still a viable path to the title game for Central Whidbey, however, which returns to action Thursday, playing Gig Harbor in a loser-out game.
The Wolves, 15-1 on the season and 1-1 in the state tourney, have to win daily from here on out to get to Sunday’s best 2-of-3 title bout.
If they do, South Hill, which has outscored three foes by a combined 44-1 during the tournament, will likely be waiting for them.
Central Whidbey, which thumped Asotin County 12-2 to open state, has proven to be resilient all season, something Wolf coach Aaron Lucero is relying on.
“We win or we learn, and tonight we learned,” he said.
“Hats off to South Hill. They are a very talented team in all phases of the game.”
While Central Whidbey failed to generate any offense against its big-city foes, who field an all-star team with players drawn from multiple teams, Lucero preaches patience and the joys to be found in a bounce-back performance.
“I told the team to hold their heads up and get their minds right,” he said. “We still have an opportunity to advance and win some ball games.”
The diamond guru praised the performance of relief ace Sydney Van Dyke, who took over pitching duties after starter Kennedy Strevel took “a hot liner to her pitching hand” early in the game.
“Sydney came in and did an admirable job pitching coming in cold,” Lucero said.
“We’ll move past this one and get ready for tomorrow!”
One team, one dream for the Wolves, one of the few state tourney squads to not draw players from multiple regular season teams. (Jess Lucero photo)
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