Washington Secures Victory Over Stevens in State Softball Quarterfinals

Maddy Mescher launched a two-run homer in the opening inning, propelling the No. 3 Sioux Falls Washington team to a commanding 10-3 victory against Rapid City Stevens during the Class AA state quarterfinals. With this win, Washington advances to face No. 2 Harrisburg in the state semifinals scheduled for 4 p.m. on Friday, June 5.

Mescher's early home run ignited an offensive surge that saw the Warriors score in four out of six innings. Natalie Thompson contributed with a double that brought home Josie Biteler in the first frame. "We've been hitting hard all week, so the swing felt good," Mescher commented. "I hunted my pitch and it went over."

In the third inning, Aubrey Chavez singled and later scored due to an error, extending the lead to 4-0. By the fifth inning, Biteler cleared the bases with a three-run triple, pushing the score to 7-0 before scoring herself on a groundout from Thompson. "You've just got to sit on your pitch and not do too much," Biteler said. "See ball, hit ball, keep it simple. Things will happen."

The final runs for Washington came in the sixth inning, courtesy of RBI groundouts from Kjerstin Kyte and Chavez. Head coach Kim Bazata expressed her excitement about the team's performance, particularly in such a crucial match. The offense has struggled in previous high-stakes situations, but they found their rhythm this time around. "We did it from the top of the lineup to the bottom, which is nice too," Bazata noted. "We know that if we're going to go the distance this year we need the bats coming around for us."

Mescher pitched five shutout innings before facing challenges in the sixth and seventh, where Stevens managed to load the bases in both frames. Despite the pressure, Mescher maintained her composure, aided by Bazata's strategic mound visits. "They were coming up their third and fourth time through the order, so it was huge we had those runs and Maddy could relax a little out there," Bazata explained. The junior ended the game allowing three runs, two of which were earned, while striking out two and yielding 11 hits. "I don't care how she gets us outs, I just want her to get us outs," Bazata concluded, praising Mescher's resilience and contribution to the team's advancement to the state semifinals.