Last season’s 1A State Softball Championship Tournament made the Montesano Bulldogs feel like someone stole their bike.

After winning it all in 2023 the Bulldogs reached the state tournament as the No. 1 seed looking to do something they have never done under head coach Pat Pace’s long and legendary tenure: Win back-to-back state championships.

But with a quarterfinal loss their state-title hopes were dashed far sooner than expected, and a loss in the state’s third/fourth-place game left the Bulldogs with a bad taste in their mouths and a pit in their stomach.

So as the 2024 season got going, a theme emerged in the Montesano clubhouse that reverberated throughout the season, and it had to do with a story from one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time.

“You know the old Cassius Clay and the bike story, right? I don’t know if it’s myth or real, but he goes into box and visualizes the person who stole his bike,” said Monte head coach Pat Pace, referencing a story about famed boxer Muhammad Ali taking up boxing in case he ever found who stole his red bicycle when he was 12. “So we used that story in 2023 to get (the state title) back. In ‘24, I think maybe we were a little overconfident. We didn’t have any motivational vibes going in. This year, we went back to the bike and were pretty serious about it. … This win had a lot to do with what happened in 2024.”

This season, the Bulldogs left no doubt in regaining their state championship, which is the unprecedented 12 in the program’s storied history and reaffirmed the Bulldogs as the benchmark for softball programs in the state.

PHOTO BY HAILEY BLANCAS Montesano first baseman Kylee Wisdom celebrates during a 10-5 win over Rochester in the 1A State Championship game on Saturday, May 24 in Richland.

Monte’s road to the state championship was unconventional yet familiar as due to the strength of District 4 teams at the state tournament, the Bulldogs faced three district opponents at state, including league rivals Elma and Rochester in the semis and title game, respectively.

“I wish we could’ve played different teams. I’m so happy our league was so strong with Rochester, Elma and us all placing in the top four, which has never happened in my 31 years of softball,” Pace said. “I’d much rather play a team that haven’t played us before so that they know nothing about our slappers unless their coaches are really good at scouting. I hate playing our league opponents in Elma and Rochester because they know us. We know them, but they know us.”

As the No. 1 seed, Monte received a by and opened its tournament against No. 9 Lynden Christian, which the Bulldogs dispatched of in the district tournament a week prior. Monte cruised to an 8-0 win behind a three-run, three stolen base performance by one of those lefty slap hitters in third baseman Lex Stanfield and a three-hit, complete-game shutout from junior pitcher Grace Gooding.

After Elma pulled off a mild upset over district runner-up Seton Catholic, Montesano squared off against the much-improved Eagles in the state semis.

Monte was able to pull away from Elma on the back of a two-run home run by star catcher Ali Parkin in the bottom of the sixth to advance to the title game with an 8-2 win.

In the final, Montesano faced the only 1A team to beat them during the regular season in league-foe Rochester, which handed the Bulldogs a humbling 12-1 loss in a key league game back on April 28.

Monte returned the favor to the Warriors when it counted most, getting to Rochester ace Layna Demers for 13 hits – including a two-run home run by freshman pitcher Violet Prince – to cruise to a 10-5 lead.

“(Demers) is an amazing pitcher and it’s hard to see the ball because her movement and speed are crazy,” Parkin said of Demers, her travel-ball teammate and friend. “We were instructed to look over some film on our at-bats against her and I think that definitely helped.”

“Layna is a great pitcher and going into that game, our coaches and teammates we all said we know we can do this and we worked all season for this,” Robinson said. “Just having that belief we are here to do one thing and we’re able to accomplish it if we put our minds to it.”

After scoring 26 runs in three games against state-level competition, Pace said the type of offense his team ran was key.

“I think our offense worked so well together,” said senior shortstop Addi Kersker, who went 4 for 10 with six RBI in three games. “We gel so well and I think our bats were hot at the perfect time and I don’t think defenses know how to handle our team and how to play us.”

“I watch a lot of teams and there’s not a lot of short game being done,” he said. “We have an unusual lineup with five slapppers. They are fast and cause so much chaos in the lineup. I really think that’s what led to our high scores. We were making teams make mistakes. Our girls did a great job stealing bases too. There was a lot of stuff going on when we were on offense and that helped.”

The numbers bear Pace’s claim out.

The top four hitters in Montesano’s lineup – senior left fielder Liv Robinson, Stanfield, Parkin and Kersker – went a combined 19 for 42 (.452) with nine runs and 14 RBI in the three tournament games. Aside from the slugging Parkin, all are left-handed slap hitters that are fast of foot.

“Our slappers did a great job getting on base and our power hitters did a great job hitting in the gaps,” said Parkin, who went 4 for 7 with 4 RBI in the tournament. “You have Liv Robinson and Lex Stanfield hitting 1-2 and they always get on, no matter what.”

PHOTO BY HAILEY BLANCAS Montesano’s Kennedy Campbell hugs Addi Kersker (4) after beating Rochester 10-5 in the 1A State Championship game on Saturday, May 24 in Richland.

“We all believed in each other and the thought that the person behind me is going to pick up for me if I don’t succeed,” said Robinson, who went 4 for 13 with three stolen bases in the tournament. “Just believing in one another gave us the ability to succeed on offense.”

The speed factor played a role in all three games as Monte’s offense forced five errors and scored nine unearned runs in the tournament. Four of those errors came against Rochester in the final, leading to four unearned runs the Bulldogs were more than obliged to take.

“I think (opposing defenses) are always on high alert and that wears down after a while,” Pace said. “There’s an anxiety level for every third baseman when one of those lefties steps into the box. … We had so much movement going on.

Monte winning its second title in three seasons means seniors Parkin, Kersker, Robinson, center fielder Adda Potts, right fielder Kennedy Campbell and first baseman Kylee Wisdom graduate as two-time state champions.

“Honestly, there are no words to describe it, it’s a great feeling,” Parkin said. “I think we all knew from the begining of the season that we were going to get that state championship. … Just ending off of that as a senior was the best feeling ever. … I had played with these senior my whole life. … We were definitely crushed last year and we wanted to come back our senior year and we wanted to make it happen. It meant so much to us.”

“It meant everything,” said Kersker, who was out for several games after suffering a concussion in a game against Aberdeen early in the season. “I’ve had so many concussions in the past, I didn’t think I was going to be able to return at all for the whole season. So being able to come back and work for my team and us coming together like that, it just meant everything. I couldn’t have done it without my team. They are all amazing people.”

“It’s so special,” said Robinson, one of six seniors that has played together since they were eight years old. “Growing up in Monte, you go to watch the older girls at state, so it’s something we’ve always looked forward too and wanted to fill those shoes. But finishing out this way as a senior, it’s just so special.”

PHOTO BY HAILEY BLANCAS Montesano’s Liv Robinson (right) hugs teammate Kylee Wisdom after winning the 1A State Softball Championship on May 24 at the Columbia Playfields in Richland.

“The girls I have surrounding me are just great and I love the program so much,” said junior pitcher Grace Gooding, one part of Monte’s 1-2 punch in the circle with freshman Violet Prince. “All the seniors are all incredible and it meant the world to all of us.”

“At the 1A level, I had two of the best pitchers that complemented each other, which was a reason for our success,” Pace said of his two aces, both of which will return next season. “I feel very fortunate that I had Grace Gooding and Violet Prince because those two were game-changers being able to rely on each other.”

In the end, Monte climbed back to the mountaintop to resume its position as the top Dogs in the 1A class and add another banner to the aesthetics at Dick Tagman Field.

“It got taken away from us last year and we really wanted to fight back,” Gooding said. “We knew we could do it and we all came together as a team and play for each other rather than as an individual.”

“We went into every single game saying, ‘This person stole our bike and we’re going to get it back,’” Parkin said. “The Bulldog community is unlike another. You get support left and right from everyone. … I’m so blessed to have grown up in it.”