1A State Softball Roundup: Montesano caps perfect season with second-straight state championship
Published 1:30 am Sunday, May 24, 2026
Montesano and Elma came home with state trophies as we review the 1A State Softball Tournament.
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1A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
Montesano 8, Seton Catholic 0
The Montesano Bulldogs put the finishing touches on a perfect season, beating district-rival Seton Catholic 8-0 to win their second-consecutive 1A State championship on Saturday at the Columbia Playfields in Richland.
The Bulldogs (27-0 overall) completed what was arguably the best softball season in school history, if not the state, with a formula Harbor softball fans have become accustomed to: Balanced hitting, aggressive baserunning, near-perfect defense and stellar pitching to beat the Cougars (23-4) for the second time in the postseason.
Montesano took the lead in the bottom of the first when 1A Evergreen League MVP Lex Stanfield walked, stole a base and came around to score on a one-out sacrifice fly from junior shortstop Jaelyn Butterfield.
After Bulldogs starting pitcher Violet Prince got out of a two-on, two-out jam in the top of the third when catcher Addi Williamsen threw out Kingsley Williams trying to steal third, the Bulldogs offense began to batter Cougars starter Jocelyn Kender.
Prince, Williamsen and Stanfield led off the inning with singles, with Stanfield’s producing Monte’s second run of the game, and was followed by a walk to second baseman Lainey Robinson to load the bases.
Butterfield then stepped to the plate and hammered the first pitch she saw over the left- field fence for a Grand Slam home run to break the game open at 6-0.
The Monte hit parade kept rolling as sophomore center fielder Taylor Galvin and senior right fielder Grace Gooding followed with singles and, after senior first baseman Regan Wintrip lined out for the first out of the frame, came in to score on a double to right by sophomore left fielder Charlee Fairbairn for an 8-0 lead.
That was more than enough for Prince and the Montesano defense, which held the Cougars scoreless on just three hits, ending the game when Kenzie Kuhnhausen shot a ground ball back up the middle to Robinson, who stepped on second and threw to Wintrip at first for a championship-clinching double play.
Prince made her case for the state’s top pitcher of the year with another complete-game shutout in the title matchup. The right-handed sophomore allowed two walks with 12 strikeouts, finishing the season with a sparkling 15-0 record, a .087 batting average against and struck out 197 in 94 innings pitched.
Seven different Bulldogs collected a base hit in the win, led by Butterfield with five RBI and Stanfield, who had a base hit, scored two runs, drove in a run and swiped to bags to close out her brilliant prep career.
The state title is No. 14 for head coach Pat Pace and is the first undefeated team under his tenure, which dates back to the 1997 season.
Seton Catholic 000 000 0 – 0 3 0
Montesano 107 000 x – 8 7 1
WP: Prince (7 IP, 0R, 3H, 2BB, 12K). LP: J. Kender (2 IP, 8R, 8ER, 6H, 2BB).
Leading hitters: SC – Spanik (1-2, BB); McMaster (1-3); J. Kender (1-3). Montesano – Butterfield (1-2, GS-HR, R, 5RBI, SF); Fairbairn (1-3, 2B, 2RBI); Stanfield (1-1, 2R, RBI, 2BB, 2SB); Galvin (1-3, R); Gooding (1-3, R); Prince (1-3); Williamsen (1-3); Robinson (0-2, R, BB ).
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1A STATE THIRD-PLACE GAME
Elma 12, College Place 4
Elma cemented its position as one of the top teams in the state with a 12-4 win over College Place in the 1A State third-place game on Saturday in Richland.
The Eagles (20-7) hammered the Hawks (24-4) for 12 hits, with every player on the Elma nine-man roster collecting a base knock in the game.
Elma scored three in the top of the first, capped by an RBI single by junior outfielder Kenna Monroe to score junior shortstop Aubree Simmons, and added pulled away with four in the second on a bases-loaded walk to Simmons, an RBI ground out by Monroe and a two-run single off the bat of third baseman Lynsee Bednarik to go up 7-0.
Leading 7-2 in the top of the fifth, the Eagles offense exploded with seven runs on seven straight hits to open the frame.
Eighth-grade left fielder Sophie Jones, senior right fielder Chloe Donais, sophomore first baseman Jordan Trudell, junior catcher Raelynn Weld and sophomore outfielder Caroline Cole singled, with Trudell, Weld and Cole driving in runs to make it a 9-2 game.
Junior pitcher Ashlynn Weld followed with a two-run double followed by a two-run home run by Simmons to stake Elma to a commanding 14-2 lead.
Ashlynn Weld worked around a one-out single and a two-out walk to retire the side and secure the third-place state trophy for the Eagles after placing fourth a season ago.
“I am super proud of this group of girls for number one making it back to the state tournament and winning in that third and fourth place game, the saying goes that really only two teams leave here happy and it’s the team that wins first and the team that wins third,” Elma head coach Ashley Stancil said. “We just had a mindset after losing in the semi’s to Montesano that our story wasn’t over and we wanted to bring home another trophy to our community. We remembered how exhausting playing three games in one day was and just had this mentality of it didn’t matter how tired we were. We were gonna do what we needed to to make sure we leave here in smiles, especially for our one senior (Donais). The girls really wanted to play as hard as they could for her.”
Ashlynn Weld allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits with three walks and six strikeouts to get the five-inning, mercy-rule win.
Raelynn Weld, Cole and Simmons had two hits apiece for Elma.
Stancil reflected on her lone senior and what turned out to be a successful 2026 campaign.
“Chloe missed a lot of our season and her goal was to get back by districts and be a big piece of our batting lineup and she did exactly that. Just having her experience back in the lineup, her leadership in the dugout even though it wasn’t where she wanted it to be she still did an incredible job,” she said. “As coaches, we ask a lot of our girls all season long and reference how it’ll all be worth it when we play that Saturday at the state tournament and I think our tough non-league schedule really set us up and prepared us very well. … As their coach, I am incredibly proud of the people they are on and off the field and the way that they play this game. You will never meet a group that has more fun than this one right here.”
Elma 340 07 – 14 12 1
College Place 001 10 – 2 4 3
WP: A. Weld (5 IP, 2R, ER, 4H, 3BB, 6K). LP: Ortega (0.1 IP, 3R, 2ER, 3H).
Leading hitters: Elma – Simmons (2-3, HR, 2B, 3R, 3RBI); R. Weld (2-3, 3R, RBI); Cole (2-3, 3R, RBI); A. Weld (1-3, 2B, 2R, 2RBI); Monroe (1-3, 2RBI); Bednarik (1-4, 2RBI); Jones (1-4, R); Donais (1-3, R); Trudell (1-3, R, RBI). College Place – Tonn (2-3); Hayes (1-2, RBI); Moore (1-2, R).
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1A STATE SEMIFINAL
Montesano 7, Elma 1
Two of the top 1A softball teams in the county, district and state faced off for the fourth time this season as Montesano defeated Elma 7-1 in a 1A State semifinal game on Saturday in Richland.
The Bulldogs got on the board early, with two runs in the bottom of the first on a Lainey Robinson RBI double and a Taylor Galvin run-scoring single.
Monte added a run in the second on a triple by freshman catcher Addi Williamsen to drive in pinch-runner Ashlyn Lytle for a 3-0 lead.
Elma responded with a run in the fourth inning when outfielder Caroline Cole reached with a leadoff single and advanced to third on an outfield error. Cole came in to score what turned out to be Elma’s lone run of the game on a passed ball one batter later.
The Bulldogs added two runs in the fifth on a bases-loaded walk to Galvin and a sacrifice fly by senior outfielder Grace Gooding for a 5-1 lead.
Robinson singled to drive in Lytle and senior third baseman Lex Stanfield with two outs in the bottom of the sixth.
Monte sophomore pitcher Violet Prince retired the final six batters she faced to secure the victory, allowing two hits and two walks while striking out 15 in the win.
Stanfield had three hits, scored three runs and stole two bases to lead Monte into the state-title game.
Elma 000 100 0 – 1 2 0
Montesano 210 022 x – 7 10 2
WP: Prince (7 IP, R, 0ER, 2H, 2BB, 15K). LP: A. Weld (6 IP, 7R, 7ER, 10H, 2BB, 6K).
Leading hitters: Elma – Cole (1-2, R, BB); Monroe (1-3). Montesano – Stanfield (3-4, 3R, 2SB); Robinson (2-4, 2B, R, 3RBI); Prince (2-3); Williamsen (1-2, R, RBI); Galvin (1-2, 2RBI); Butterfield (1-4); Gooding (0-2, RBI, SF).
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1A STATE ELIMINATION GAME
Elma 10, Seattle Christian 4
Elma shook off a state-semifinal loss to beat Seattle Christian in a 1A State elimination game on Saturday in Richland.
The Eagles scored a run in every inning of the game against the Warriors (16-10).
Elma scored a run in top of the first on an Ashlynn Weld RBI single. Weld later came in to score on an error for a 2-0 lead.
Eagles senior outfielder Chloe Donais scored on a Raelynn Weld triple in the second to go up 3-0 before Seattle Christian scored two runs on an Adrienne Koontz double in the top of the third.
Elma outfielder Sophie Jones pushed across a run with a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the third followed by Jordan Trudell scoring on an Ashlynn Weld bunt single to go up 5-2 in the fourth.
The Eagles put the game out of reach when Ashlynn Weld tripled to drive in Jones, Kensi Johanson and Caroline Cole followed by an Aubree Simmons RBI single to take a 9-2 lead after five innings.
Donais singled to drive in third baseman Lynsee Bednarik for a 10-2 lead in the sixth.
Ashlynn Weld would allow two runs in the seventh but no more to send Elma to the state’s third-fourth place game.
Ashlynn Weld had three hits and drove in five runs to lead the Eagles offense, which scored eight unearned runs on six Warriors errors.
Seattle Chr. 002 000 2 – 4 8 6
Elma 211 141 x – 10 12 1
WP: A. Weld (7 IP, 4R, 2ER, 8H, 3BB, 6K). LP: Knight (6 IP, 10R, 2ER, 12H, 3BB, 2K).
Leading hitters: Seattle Chr. – A. Koontz (3-4, 2B, 3RBI); Blase (3-4, 2B, R); E. Koontz (1-3, 2B, RBI); Hunt (1-2). Elma – A. Weld (3-5, 3B, 2R, 5RBI); R. Weld (2-5, 3B, RBI); Simmons (2-5, RBI); Bednarik (2-4, R, SB); Monroe (1-4, R); Donais (1-4, R, RBI); Jones (1-2, R); Cole (0-4, 2R); Trudell (0-3, R).
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1A STATE QUARTERFINALS
Elma 2, College Place 1
Elma rode an ace pitching performance from Ashlynn Weld and some clutch hitting by Jordan Trudell to beat College Place in a 1A State quarterfinal game on Friday in Richland.
The Eagles junior right-hander held the Hawks to just three hits in the game in what turned out to be a pitcher’s dual against College Place starter Anna Ortega.
Elma took the lead when Trudell tripled with one out on a fly ball to center field.
Trudell then scampered home on a sacrifice bunt by catcher Raelynn Weld.
College Place would tie the game when Gracelyn Tonn led off the bottom of the sixth with a single and stole second with two outs.
An error in the Eagles outfield off a fly ball by Carli Ray allowed Tonn to score the tying run.
Elma responded in the top of the seventh when outfielder Sophie Jones walked with one out and came in to score on Trudell’s clutch two-out pop single to center.
Ashlynn Weld retired the side in order in the bottom of the seventh to end the game, finishing with one unearned runs and three hits allowed while striking out 10 Hawks without a walk.
Trudell had two hits against Ortega, who allowed just four hits in the game.
Elma 000 010 1 – 2 4 1
College Place 000 001 0 – 1 3 1
WP: A. Weld (7 IP, R, 0ER, 3H, 10K). LP: Ortega (7 IP, 2R, 2ER, 4H, 2BB, 12K).
Leading hitters: Elma – Trudell (2-3, 3B, R, RBI); A. Weld (1-3, 2B, SB); Monroe (1-3); Jones (0-2, R); R. Weld (0-2, RBI, BB). College Place – Ortega (2-3); Tonn (1-3, R, SB).
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Montesano 20, Royal 4
Montesano cruised into the state semifinals with a 20-4 win over Royal in the quarterfinal round on Friday in Richland.
The Bulldogs trailed 2-0 after a run on a Hali Christensen single and an infield error in the top of the first.
Monte responded with three in the bottom of the first on a Lainey Robinson fielder’s choice ground ball, a Grace Gooding RBI sacrifice bunt and an error on a Regan Wintrip fly ball.
The Bulldogs seized control of the game with 10 runs in the second led by catcher Addi Williamsen, who belted a two-run home run early in the frame and smacked a two-run double for four RBI in the inning.
Monte added a pair of runs in the third and five in the fifth on RBI singles by Gooding, Wintrip, Anna O’Conner and Ava Cady to got up 20-3.
Gooding closed out the top of the fifth to secure the win, allowing four runs (three earned) on eight hits and three walks with five strikeouts in five innings pitched.
Stanfield and center fielder Taylor Galvin had three hits and scored four runs apiece for Montesano.
The Bulldogs scored eight unearned runs on three Knights’ errors in the game.
Royal 200 11 – 4 8 3
Montesano 3(10)2 5x – 20 15 2
WP: Gooding (5 IP, 4R, 3ER, 8H, 3BB, 5K). LP: Allred (3 IP, 15R, 7ER, 10H, 5BB, 2K).
Leading hitters: Royal – Hill (3-3, 2B, R, RBI); Christensen (3-3, RBI); Allread (1-3); Jenks (1-3); Bergeson (0-3, R, RBI, SB). Montesano – Galvin (3-3, 2B, 4R, 2RBI, 2SB); Stanfield (3-3, 4R, 2SB); Williamsen (2-3, 2B, HR, R, 4RBI); Wintrip (2-4, 3B, 2R, 2RBI); Robinson (1-4, R, 2RBI, SB); Butterfield (1-3, 2R); Gooding (1-3, R, 2RBI); O’Conner (1-1, R, RBI, SB); Cady (1-1, RBI); Prince (0-2, 2R, RBI, BB).
