She strikes out 16 in a three-hitter as the Timberwolves get revenge on Puyallup 4-0 and advance to the Class 4A state semifinals.
SPOKANE — The matchup was a familiar one for Jackson High School.
Last year, the Timberwolves from Mill Creek faced Puyallup in the Class 4A state softball quarterfinals, losing a 3-1 decision and dropping from the winner’s bracket.
This time around, Jackson hurler Iyanla Pennington was the key in determining a different result.
The junior tossed 16 strikeouts, holding the Vikings to three hits in a convincing 4-0 win Friday afternoon at the Dwight Merkel Sports Complex that propelled the WesCo 4A champs into the semifinals. At the plate, Pennington put her team up early with a soaring solo home run over the center-field fence.
Most Read Sports Stories
“We had a lot of motivation coming into today,” Pennington said. “As a team, we were not very happy with that game (against Puyallup) last year.”
Senior Braylin Jenson contributed two hits for the Timberwolves (22-1), whose only loss this season came against Lake Stevens. Jackson defeated Kentwood 10-0 in a first-round game Friday.
Camas earned the right to play Jackson in the semifinals by shutting out Newport of Bellevue 7-0 in another quarterfinal.
One of Jackson’s main WesCo rivals, Monroe, also advanced to the semifinals where it will take on Central Valley, 20-4 quarterfinal winners against Auburn Riverside. Monroe emerged with a gritty 9-4 quarterfinal win over Richland with senior starter Sarah Reeves leading the way.
Monroe coach Ashley Tuiasosopo is not looking past the Bears from Spokane Valley — the Greater Spokane League champs — but knows a rematch with Jackson in the championship game Saturday is a real possibility. The Bearcats lost three times to the Timberwolves this season, all by narrow margins.
“We’re rooting for them,” Tuiasosopo said. “We hope they’re successful on that side of the bracket.”
Monroe led the entire way against Richland, which closed to within 7-4 late in the game. A two-run homer by senior Cassidy Conrad in the top of the seventh clinched it for the Bearcats (19-6).
Reeves said she had a strategy against Richland’s powerful lineup.
“I wanted to keep the ball low,” she said.
Fellow senior Mckenzie Schulz — who rejoined the team in the district playoffs after an injury — took over for Reeves in the seventh, closing the door as she had in the Bearcats’ 8-0 win over Tahoma in the opening round.
As for the chance to face Jackson again in the final, Reeves is confident her team can compete.
“We know how good they are,” she said. “But we’ve had some close games against them.”
Eastlake fell 8-6 to Auburn Riverside in its opener but rebounded to dispatch Eastmont 16-0 in the consolation bracket and is still alive for third place.