Lady Raiders close state run with win, near upset

They were about to wrap it up in the seventh inning with a sweet payback win that would have sent the Coyotes home and the Lady Raiders on for a chance at third or fourth place in the state.

It was not to be.

Lake Roosevelt's softball team, three outs from extending its season, saw an 11-7 lead slip away in the final inning as Kittitas rallied at the end of the seventh, pulling past LR 13-11 on the final play.

Despite the loss, the game capped a strong state appearance for the Lady Raiders, who entered the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association 2026 2B State Fastpitch Softball Tournament as the No. 14 seed at Gateway Sports Complex in Yakima May 22-23. LR nearly paid back the No. 8 Coyotes for a 14-1 defeat the week before at the District 5 tournament.

The near win Friday night followed the Lady Raiders' 8-4 victory that afternoon over 11th-seeded Colfax, a win that kept LR alive in the tournament.

Lake Roosevelt trailed Colfax 3-0 after the first inning, then chipped away before breaking the game open with six runs in the fifth. The Lady Raiders finished with nine hits, led by Paisley Fury-Smith, Ayamae Batten-Bob and Zaley Laramie with two hits each.

Batten-Bob had the biggest swing of the game, hitting a home run and driving in a run. Fury-Smith added a double, a triple, an RBI and a stolen base. Juel Swager also drove in a run for LR.

Laramie went the distance in the circle, throwing all seven innings for the win. She allowed nine hits and four runs, only one earned, while walking two and striking out four.

The above successes rose up even after an initial big loss at state. The Lady Raiders ran into No. 3 Adna at 9 a.m. Friday, falling 13-3 in six innings. LR scored in the first, second and fourth innings, but the Pirates answered steadily, scoring in five of their six at-bats.

Swager led LR at the plate against Adna, going 2-for-3 with an RBI. Fury-Smith also drove in a run, and Batten-Bob scored twice. Shae Crollard, Cambry Brown and Taloulah Tonasket each had a hit, and Batten-Bob and Brown each stole a base.

Laramie started in the circle against Adna, with Ashlyn Sam coming on in relief.

The loss to Kittitas ended the Lady Raiders' season, but not before they picked up a state-tournament win and came within one inning of knocking off a team that had beaten them decisively just a week earlier.

Agate

2B State Fastpitch Softball Tournament

At Gateway Sports Complex, Yakima

Friday, May 22

Lake Roosevelt 8, Colfax 4

Colfax 300 010 0 - 4 9 6

Lake Roosevelt 010 160 0 - 8 9 3

LR highlights: Paisley Fury-Smith 2B, 3B, RBI, SB; Ayamae Batten-Bob HR, RBI; Zaley Laramie 2 hits; Juel Swager RBI.

Pitching: Zaley Laramie 7 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO.

Adna 13, Lake Roosevelt 3

Lake Roosevelt 110 100 - 3 7 7

Adna 222 304 - 13 8 4

LR highlights: Juel Swager 2-for-3, RBI; Paisley Fury-Smith RBI; Ayamae Batten-Bob 1 hit, 2 runs, SB; Cambry Brown 1 hit, SB.

Pitching: Zaley Laramie 4.1 IP, 7 H, 9 R, 6 ER, 2 BB; Ashlyn Sam 1.1 IP, 1 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 6 BB, 1 SO.

(No agate was available for the game with Kittitas)

Photos

Shae Crollard makes a catch at deep center field for an out against Kittitas Saturday night at the state tournament in Yakima.