Warriors impress at state softball tourney

FAIRBANKS — Before this season, the Wasilla Warriors were a bit of an unknown in girls softball. But after winning their first region title in school history and earning the attention of opponents during the state tournament, the Warriors are back on the softball radar.

Wasilla sandwiched a victory between a pair of slim losses en route to a fourth-place finish during the ASAA/First National Bank Large Schools State Softball Championships in Fairbanks over the weekend.

“A lot of teams were impressed with how we played,” Wasilla head coach Tyler Gilligan said by cellphone from Fairbanks. “The girls did amazing; stayed up, stayed positive.”

Wasilla scored an 8-4 win over Railbelt rival West Valley, and was within reach of knocking off two teams that finished within the top 3 of the state tournament.

In the first round, South Anchorage needed to rally in the seventh inning to edge Wasilla 3-2. After Wasilla bounced back with the 8-4 win over the Wolfpack, the Warriors came close to bouncing eventual runner-up West Anchorage out of the tournament during the consolation rounds. West needed a two-run shot in the bottom of the seventh to beat Wasilla 7-5.

East Anchorage won the state title with a 12-0 win over the Eagles.

Gilligan said the respect the Warriors gained during the two-day championships is among the best things Wasilla can take away from the tournament.

“The coaches from South and West were saying, why haven’t we seen you,” Gilligan said of Wasilla, which qualified for its first state tournament since 2007.

Cassidy Edwards, the lone senior on the squad, pitched three complete games for Wasilla. Edwards collected six strikeouts during the loss to South, fanned 13 in the win over West Valley and recorded two more strikeouts in the loss to West.

As the Railbelt Conference champion, Wasilla earned a first-round bye in the tournament. In their opener Friday afternoon, Wasilla led South 2-1 heading into the final inning.

Wasilla took the lead when Jessica Maxwell doubled and quickly scored on a Katherine Johnson single. Maxwell also had an RBI in the game, driving in Deborah Polk with a double after Polk doubled.

Maxwell and Johnson each scored a pair of runs during the 8-4 win over West Valley. Polk, Alyssa Simmons, Hailey Jenkins and Britainy Westcott also scored runs against the Wolfpack.

Gilligan said the Warriors played a back-and-forth game with West Anchorage. Simmons hit a two-run home run early for Wasilla, and Edwards tied the game at 5 with a solo shot. Simmons finished with two runs in the loss. Maxwell, Johnson and Edwards scored one run each.

The Warriors also received honors following the tournament. Wasilla received the tournament’s sportsmanship award. Edwards and Maxwell were also named all-tournament.

Overall, Wasilla made school history, but also has a bright future, Gilligan said. The Warriors will bring back seven juniors, a sophomore and a freshman from the 2015 squad.

“It’s amazing having people from other teams come up and say, Wasilla’s got softball now. Good to see softball in the Valley,” Gilligan said.