In battle for two of state’s top 1A softball teams, Round 1 goes to Montesano

Published 1:30 am Friday, April 24, 2026

MONTESANO–In a battle of two of the top teams in the 1A class this season, Round 1 went to Montesano.

The top-ranked Bulldogs executed on both offense and defense to beat No. 4 Elma 10-6 in a marquee matchup on Thursday at Dick Tagman Field in Montesano.

Monte (12-0 overall, 5-1 1A Evergreen) pressured the Eagles defense in the bottom of the first inning.

The Bulldogs got on the board when an errant throw on a potential inning-ending double play allowed third baseman Lex Stanfield – on board with a leadoff triple – to score for a 1-0 lead.

One batter later, Montesano’s aggressive baserunning led to another run when Eagles catcher Raelynn Weld’s throw deflected off Monte runner Regan Wintrip, who was attempting to steal second. Bulldogs center fielder Taylor Galvin came in to score for a 2-0 lead.

Monte’s baserunning prowess led to a moment of indecision on the Elma defense, and the Bulldogs’ third run of the inning. Monte outfielder Violet Prince left first on a delayed steal, attempting to induce a throw down to second. Monte senior Regan Wintrip, who was on third base, broke for home on the throw and scored as Prince scurried back to first base safely.

“We focus on capitalizing on other teams’ errors and are looking for every opportunity we can get,” Galvin said.

Elma (10-2, 5-1) got a run back in the top of the second when pitcher Ashlynn Weld came in to score on a Montesano error on a ground ball off the bat of Makaya Donais.

Monte would take a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the second when Stanfield – on third after a two-out triple – came in to score on a single by second baseman Lainey Robinson.

A Raelynn Weld leadoff doubled followed by a walk to Eagles shortstop Aubree Simmons had the Eagles in business in the top of the third.

With one out, Ashlynn Weld drove a Grace Gooding pitch to the left-center field game to score her twin sister and Simmons.

Third baseman Lynsee Bednarik followed with a single to right to score Ashlynn Weld and tie the game at 4-4.

Elma had the go-ahead run at second base with two outs and Caroline Cole at the plate. Cole drove a 1-0 pitch deep to the right-center field gap, but Galvin kept the game tied with a full-sprint, over-the-shoulder catch to rob Cole of extra bases.

One inning later, Galvin was at it again, sprinting in to short left-center field to make a diving catch of a sinking liner off the bat of shortstop Aubree Simmons to end the frame.

As if on queue, Galvin stepped to the plate in the bottom half of the frame and belted a clutch double to drive in shortstop Jaelyn Butterfield and Robinson to give Monte a 6-4 lead.

The Bulldogs got some breathing room with a two-out RBI triple from catcher Addi Williamsen followed by an RBI bunt single by the quick-footed Stanfield to go up 8-4.

Elma responded with a clutch extra-base hit of their own when Raelynn Weld score in two runs with two outs in the sixth to keep the game close at 8-6.

But the day belonged to Montesano, more specifically Galvin as the sophomore phenom stepped to the plate with one on and one out and drove the first pitch she saw just over the outstretched glove of Monroe in center field for a two-run home run, putting an exclamation point on a stellar performance and the Bulldogs’ victory.

“This is pretty much as good as it gets,” Galvin said of her day with both the bat and glove. “I’m really happy with my performance and I hope I can keep on working and this can be a more consistent thing for me.”

Ashlynn Weld singled in the top of the seventh with one out, but Gooding got two straight ground outs to end the game and secure a key win in the league and RPI standings.

“Something I really love about our lineup is how we are so consistent, one through nine,” Galvin said. “I have full trust in every single one of us that we can get on, we can move our runners and we can score our runners. I think that’s really what helped our success today.”

Stanfield had three hits while Galvin drove in four runs for Montesano.

Galvin also had four putouts in the game, including a catch of a line drive she almost turned into a double play with a strong throw that was just off the line to first base.

“She really owned the outfield,” Monte head coach Pat Pace said. “We just let her roam. A couple time I look out there and think, ‘She’s really tight to the infield,’ but she gets the job done.”

The win puts Monte up by one game on Elma in the 1A Evergreen League standings.

“We knew this was a big game and where Elma’s at and honestly, I’m not afraid to say that I think you have two of the best (state) teams here in east Grays Harbor,” Pace said. “We came into this treating it like every other game we played. We’re going out and having fun, focusing on driving the ball and that’s all we’re going to do here. No one said this is for the league title or RPI or anything like that.”

Twin standouts Ashlynn and Raelynn Weld had three hits each to lead the Eagles.

Elma head coach Ashley Stancil said she was impressed with the way her team, which is mostly made up of juniors and underclassmen, kept battling despite trailing in the game, something they have done much this season.

“This was probably the first time in a long time that we feel like we didn’t just give up and let it continue to snowball, and that’s a positive thing going into tomorrow,” she said. “Monte is always going to be the best team we play. … I think (Monte) is a team that just finds a way. That’s just in there DNA and is the reason they’ve been this good for so long.”

The two teams set to face off at 4:30 p.m. on Friday in Elma.

Elma 013 002 0 – 6 9 4

Montesano 310 222 x – 10 13 2

WP: Gooding (7 IP, 6R, 3ER, 8H, BB, 6K). LP: A. Weld (6 IP, 10R, 7ER, 11H, 3BB, 5K).

Leading hitters: Elma – R. Weld (3-4, 2 2B, R, 2RBI); A. Weld (3-4, 2B, 2R, 2RBI); Bednarik (1-4, RBI); Monroe (1-4); Cole (1-3); Trudell (0-2, R). Montesano – Stanfield (3-4, 2 3B, R, RBI); Galvin (2-3, HR, 2B, 2R, 4RBI, SB); Robinson (2-3, 2R, RBI, SB); Prince (2-3); Butterfield (1-3, 2R); Gooding (1-4); Fairbairn (1-2, R); Williamsen (1-3, 3B, RBI).