Wolverines prevail in opening round, finish among ‘Elite 8’ at State | Softball

Perhaps even more impressive, they also clinched their first-ever berth at the state 1A fast-pitch softball tournament, and then notched a victory over a battle-tested Hoquiam squad Friday in the opener to advance into a showdown against Onalaska in the quarterfinal round.

May 29, 2011 2:14 pm
With a victory in the opening round of the state 1A tournament
With a victory in the opening round of the state 1A tournament

Entangled in a mid-season slump, the 2011 Friday Harbor softball team looked at that point as if it would fall far short of expectations.

Instead, the Wolverines quickly righted the ship, ended the regular-season on a tear, and then bowled over five consecutive post-season opponents to claim their first-ever Tri-District championship.

Perhaps even more impressive, they also clinched their first-ever berth at the state 1A fast-pitch softball tournament, and then notched a victory over a battle-tested Hoquiam squad Friday in the opener to advance into a showdown against Onalaska in the quarterfinal round.

The Wolverines unprecedented post-season run came to an end in back-to-back losses later the same day, however.

They fell 15-4 to Onalaska, who will face Connell for the 1A state title, and then suffered a 9-2 tournament-ending loss at the hands of a familiar foe, Nooksack Valley, who the Wolverines defeated twice this year in post-season play.

— See the June 1 edition of the Journal for more coverage of the Wolverines journey to State, and a tribute to the team’s five senior starters.

— Scott Rasmussen