Pitcher’s dual turns to rout in Elma win over Hoquiam

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, April 14, 2026

ELMA–Elma turned what was a pitcher’s dual into a rout with a 10-0 five-inning victory over Hoquiam on Monday at Elma’s Legacy Fields.

The Eagles (9-1 overall, 4-0 1A Evergreen) and Grizzlies (3-5, 2-3) were locked in a one-run game through three-and-a-half innings as starting pitchers in Elma’s Ashlynn Weld and Hoquiam’s Hailee Burgess kept opposing offenses in check.

The Eagles took a 1-0 lead when leadoff hitter Raelynn Weld singled and later came in to score on a fielder’s choice ground out to shortstop Lexi LaBounty.

That was the only run of the game heading into the bottom of the fourth inning as Ashlynn Weld retired 12 of the first 13 batters she faced, allowing only a one-out single to Grizzlies catcher Mya Standstipher in the top of the fourth.

Meanwhile, Burgess held the high-powered Eagles offense to just the one run through three innings, getting some help from Standstipher who thwarted potential Eagles rallies by throwing out two would-be basestealers, one in each of the first two frames.

But that all changed in the bottom of the fourth inning as the Eagles offense woke up.

The first four Eagles batters reached base, capped by an RBI single from right fielder Caroline Cole to plate Aubree Simmons for a 3-0 lead.

With the bases loaded and one out, Raelynn Weld blew the game open when she drove a Burgess pitch to right-center field, extending the lead to 6-0 with a clutch three-run triple.

“I was just thinking I needed to put the ball in play and get these runners in, whatever I could do,” Raelynn Weld said. “Just stay through the ball and put it in the outfield if I can.”

One batter later, center fielder Kenna Monroe flied out to Hoquiam counterpart Avery Brodhead to chase home Raelynn Weld with a sacrifice fly and a 7-0 lead.

In the fifth, the Eagles would earn the walk-off, mercy-rule victory with three runs in the fifth, capped by an RBI fielder’s choice ground out off the bat of Jordan Trudell to score Cole with the Eagles’ 10th and final run.

Despite suffering from infections in each ear that hindered her hearing, Ashlynn Weld had one of the better performances in the circle of her prep career. The junior right-hander dazzled Hoquiam, holding the Grizzlies to 1-for-16 hitting (.062) and just one baserunner with 11 strikeouts. She faced one batter over the minimum, retired the first 10 batters she faces and threw 44 strikes out of 61 pitches.

“I feel like my rise ball was working a lot, my curve ball was decent and I feel my screwball was working the best,” Ashlynn Weld said. “I feel like I did good. I was happy with my performance.”

“I felt like she was throwing different today,” said twin sister and catcher Raelynn Weld of Ashlynn’s performance in the circle. “She was really, really smooth and really ready today. She came prepared to be able to beat this team. … Her placements for her spots were really well.”

Elma, which had just two hits through the first three innings, had eight hits combined in the fourth and fifth innings and were led by Raelynn Weld, third baseman Lynsee Bednarik, Ashlynn Weld and Cole with two hits apiece.

“I think it’s a different mentality when we play our league opponents,” Elma head coach Ashley Stancil said. “When it comes to league opponents, I think it’s one of those things where we know what job needs to be done. … We worked a lot on Spring Break on the little things and and one of those was getting the younger girls more involved and trying to have more fun.”

“We just took it like we were playing any other team,” said Ashlynn Weld, who said she was at about 75% health for the game. “We were a little rough in the beginning, hitting-wise, and then we ended up doing what we needed to do to win the game.”

“Especially with the younger girls, it can be really difficult to get us all together and we’ve been working really well on it,” Raelynn Weld said. “They’ve been fitting in really well.”

Elma, the No. 4 team in the latest WIAA RPI rankings, sits a half-game behind Montesano in the win column for first place in the 1A Evergreen League.

Hoquiam sits firmly in third place in the league standings ahead of Tenino (0-5) and Rochester (0-3).

Elma and Hoquiam will square off once again at 4 p.m. on Thursday at John Gable Park in Hoquiam.

Hoquiam 000 00 – 0 1 2

Elma 100 63 – 10 10 0

WP: A. Weld (5 IP, 0R, H, 11K). LP: Burgess (4.2 IP, 10R, 7ER, 9H, 2BB, 4K).

Leading hitters: Hoquiam – Standstipher (1-2). Elma – R. Weld (2-3, 3B, 2R, 3RBI); Bednarik (2-3, 3B, R, RBI); A. Weld (2-3, 2B, 2R, RBI); Cole (2-2, 2B, 2R, RBI); Simmons (1-1, 2B, 2R, RBI); Trudell (1-3, R, RBI); Monroe (0-2, RBI, SF).