Aberdeen’s Sophie Knutson won the 2A Evergreen girls tennis singles championship as we review recent sports events on the Harbor.

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PREP TENNIS

Aberdeen’s Knutson crowned EvCo singles champ

Aberdeen sophomore Sophie Knutson defeated all opponents over a two-day stretch to claim the singles championship at the 2A Evergreen Conference Sub-Districts on Monday and Tuesday in Tumwater.

Entering the competition as the No. 4 seed, Knutson opened the tournament by beating Black Hills Zofia Yatis 6-0, 6-0 followed by a quarterfinal win over Centralia’s Esther Hopkins 6-1, 6-0 on Monday.

In Tuesday’s semifinals, Knutson dropped the first set to W.F. West’s Emma Hamilton 6-3 before rallying to win sets two and three by identical scores of 6-2 to advance to the final.

In the league-title match, Knutson needed just two sets to beat Centralia’s Maya Lackie 6-1, 6-3 to claim the league crown.

Aberdeen head coach Ashley Kohlmeier had nothing but praise for the Bobcats super sophomore.

“The points were long, the games were long and Sophie played a clean match to take the title,” she said. “She battled hard tonight over five total sets of tennis. She barely let anything get by her on the court. I think her impenetrable defense was frustrating for both of her opponents. She just gets to every ball. I’ve never seen anything like it in 13 years of coaching.”

Knutson will enter the 2A District 4 Tournament as the No. 1 seed on May 14 and 16 at the Steamboat Tennis and Athletic Club in Olympia.

Aberdeen sophomore Kensie Ervin entered the tournament as an unseeded player and won her opening match against Black Hills’ Kirsten Beaulieu 6-3, 7-5.

Ervin advanced to the quarterfinals and pulled off what Kohlmeier dubbed “the upset of the tournament” with a 7-6, 6-3 win over second-seeded Emery Dalrymple of W.F. West.

“She played the best match I’ve ever seen from her and was able to pull out the upset with excellent footwork and nearly perfect passing shots,” Kohlmeier said. “I am super impressed with her tenacity and ability to step up in big moments.”

Ervin lost to Lackie 6-1, 6-3 in the semifinals and finished sixth in the tournament after a loss to W.F. West’s Alayna Leal on Tuesday.

In the doubles competition, Aberdeen duo Hadley Durr and Sawyer Shoemaker lost in the first round to one of the Centralia pairings 7-5, 5-7 and 6-3.

Bobcats Annika Natwick and Hailey Fuquay lost to Tumwater’s top duo 6-0, 6-2 to end their tournament in Round 1.

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PREP SOFTBALL

Rochester 12, Elma 8

Elma lost an extra-inning thriller to Rochester 12-8 on Tuesday in Elma.

The Eagles (10-6 overall, 4-4 1A Evergreen) trailed 6-2 before scoring four runs in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI double by left fielder Emily Comer, a two-run triple from right fielder Chloe Donais and a run-scoring single by second baseman Kenna Monroe to tie the game at 6-all.

After an error gave Rochester (12-4, 7-1) a 7-6 lead in the top of the seventh, Elma pitcher Ashlynn Weld led off the bottom of the seventh with a walk and scored on a single by Keira White.

With runners on first and second and one out in the frame, White was thrown out at third on a fielder’s choice ground out by Aubree Simmons followed by a pop out by Donais to end the frame and send the game into extra innings.

Elma had a golden opportunity in the eighth when catcher Raelynn Weld doubled with one out and stole third with Mia Monroe at the dish.

But Raelynn Weld was picked off at third on a throw by Warriors catcher Hailey Boyd for the second out.

Monroe then tripled but was stranded at third after Ashlynn Weld flew out to Piper Quarnstrom in left field.

In the top of the ninth, an Eagles error opened the floodgates for Rochester, which scored five runs in the inning, the big blow coming on a two-run double by pitcher Leah Hartley to go up 12-7.

Elma cut the lead to 12-8 when White drove in a run on a ground out in the ninth, but failed to score again to suffer the loss.

Hartley earned the win, pitching in place of standout Layna Demers, who was unavailable to play on Tuesday.

Ashlynn Weld took the loss, allowing one earned run on four hits and two walks with seven strikeouts in six innings of relief.

White started in the circle for Elma, allowing six runs – five earned – on seven hits and a walk in three innings.

With the loss, Elma ends its league scheduled in third place in the 1A Evergreen League.

Rochester and Montesano are tied atop the league, with the Warriors earning the No. 1 playoff seed due to a run-differential tiebreaker.

Rochester 105 000 105 – 12 11 4

Elma 200 004 101 – 8 10 5

WP: Hartley (9 IP, 7R, 2ER, 10H, 3BB, 5K). LP: A. Weld (6 IP, 5R, ER, 4H, 2BB, 7K).

Leading hitters: Rochester – Justice (3-5, 2B, 3R, RBI); Vassar (3-4, 2B, 3R); Hartley (2-5, 2 2B, R, 4RBI); Boyd (2-5, R, RBI); Morgan (1-5, 2B, 2RBI). Elma – White (2-5, 2R, 3RBI); R. Weld (2-5, 2B); Comer (2-5, 2B, R, RBI); Simmons (1-3, R); K. Monroe (1-4, RBI); Donais (1-3, 3B, R, 2RBI); M. Monroe (1-5, 3B).

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Other games

Pe Ell-Willapa Valley 10, Hoquiam 0

North Beach 18, Lake Quinault 6