After heavy rains cancelled Friday, May 28, competition at the Class 4A State Fastpitch Championships at the South End Recreation Area, the tournament resurfaced on Saturday as a one-day affair with consolation rounds ending before originally scheduled and all remaining teams in this round being designated as third place teams. Winners rounds continued all the way to the end.

In Thomas Jefferson's case, the Raiders' third trip in four years ended in two close losses.

Morning action featured a slow start by Jefferson and a late rally that fell just short in an 8-6 loss to Inglemoor.

The black and gold uniformed Vikings struck early on a second inning run and a three-spot in the third to take a 4-0 lead.

Jefferson closed the gap with two runs in the fifth inning when Reno Whitcomb drove two runs home on a single, but Inglemoor unloaded for four runs in the sixth inning to command an 8-2 lead.

The Raiders refused to quit and went down with guns blazing in the seventh inning. Whitcomb bunted for a single and Hannah Kiyohara reached base on an infield errror. Allie Crowe rapped an RBI single to make the score 8-3. Following this hit, Lexi Goranson hammered a two-run double to left field. Christi Bruin ripped an RBI wsingle through the middle to draw TJ within 8-6 before a fly ball out to centerfield drew down the curtain.

Inglemoor outhit Jefferson 11-9 while four Raiders hit well.

Allie Crowe ended up with a 3-for-4 batting game that included an RBI. Freshman Reno Whitcomb finished 2-for-3 with two RBI while Michaela Patton closed out her game with 2-for-4. Lexi Goranson doubled and had two RBI.

Loser-out action in the early evening featured a tight and tense Raider 3-2 loss to Rogers of Puyallup in extra innings.

Jefferson (20-11) took an early lead by way of a two-run second inning. Lexi Goranson led off for Tj by beating out a late throw on an infield grounder that bounced on the shortstop side of second base. Next, Christi Bruin executed a bunt that was muffed in front of home plate to set up runners on first and second with no out.

Cassidy DeWaele punched a run-scoring single into right field for one run before Katie Jackson's groundout to second base drive home the second run.

Thomas Jefferson maintained this lead against the South Puget Sound League South Division runner up until the fifth inning, but missed a tremendous chance to blow the fray open in its fourth inning at bat.

Bruin opened the inning by reaching first base on an infield error. DeWaele then advanced the runner with a sacrifice bunt before Katie Jackson was hit by a pitch. Despite loading the bases, the Raiders were unable to get the ball out of the infield with the next two batters.

Rogers struck for two runs on three hits in the fifth for a 2-2 stand off. Neither team threatened to score through seven complete innings, necessitating an international tie-breaker in the eighth inning. Each team started its at bat with a runner on second base.

In their at bat, the Raiders were unable to move the runner. Rogers moved the winning run home on on a wild pitch and a single to end Thomas Jefferson's season.

Rogers' Bobby Jo Schaapveld limited Thomas Jefferson to two hits while the Rams stroked 10 hits.

"Our goals all the time were to make it to state and have fun," TJ head coach Chad Fahnlander fondly recalled. "We had fun and we did it. If you would have told us at the start of the season that we'd be here and lose two close games, I'd have taken it. I'm so proud of our girls."

For the tearful Raiders, it was more than just the end of a season. It was also about family.

Three seniors shared their thoughts about their experiences.

University of Louisville-bound Kiyohara expressed her feelings strongly.

"The last four years have been the best of my lfe," she said. "I'm really thankful to Fahn (Coach Fahnlander) for my growing up."

The team as a family stood foremost in the thoughts of another senior.

"We're so bonded, it's hard to let it go," she observed.

Cassidy DeWaele got in the last word.

"We're a family, it's amazing," DeWaele shared. "We played our heart out and I'm proud of everyone."

Another senior, Julia Chanes, was unable to play for much of the season due to injury, but supported her team in the dugout and often kept a precise scorebook while also relaying opposing team players' batting trends to coach Fahnlander.

Freshman pitcher Katie Jackson returns next year to form part of strong core of returning players.

The player roster for Jefferson includes Alex "A-Rod" Rodriguez (Soph.), Michaela Patton (Soph.), Hannah Kiyohara (Sr.), Julia Chanes (Sr.), Allie Crowe (Jr.), Lexi Goranson (Soph.), Katie Jackson (Fr.), Shelby Printz (Soph.), Nicole Greenheck (Fresh.), Cyrena Bui (Jr.), Alysssa Keyes (Fresh.), Cassidy DeWaele (Sr.), Christi Bruin (Sr.) and Reno Whitcomb (Fresh.).

Assisting head coach Chad Fahlander are coaches Craig Fujita, Leon Halvorsen, Sharon Kiyohara and Jill Halvorsen.

Mike Grady is the athletic director.