Members of the Naselle softball team glance back toward the dugout during their game against Mossyrock. The eighth-seeded Naselle Comets will next face top-seeded Liberty Christian at noon Friday, May 24, at the Gateway Sports Complex in Yakima.

The Ilwaco baseball team, led by nine seniors, set a goal to push the baseball program to new heights. They did just that.

The No. 9 seed Fishermen (20-6) reached the quarterfinal round of the state playoffs — one of only eight teams remaining — before falling to top seed Toutle Lake (22-2) 8-3 in a loser-out game Saturday, May 18 in Castle Rock.

It was the furthest the Ilwaco baseball team has gone in team history and the third straight time the team qualified for the tournament, a program first.

The Fishermen defeated No. 8 seed Cle Elum-Roslyn 6-5 an eight-inning opening-round marathon on Tuesday, May 14 to advance to the game against Toutle Lake later that week.

The eventual loss to Toutle Lake — the third time the Ducks nipped the Fishermen this season — capped a remarkable run for Ilwaco, which finished with a program-best 20 wins, including capturing the Pacific League title for the second consecutive season and finishing ranked 11th in the latest WIAA 2B state rankings among 48 teams.

The Fishermen will lose the core of their team to graduation, including nine seniors: Boston Caron, Jacob Rogers, Cannon Johnson, Ethan Hopkins, Derrick Cutting, Kaemon Sawa, Kyle Morris, Grady Cox and Marcus Miller.

Seven Fishermen were named to the 2024 all-league team, including Caron, Cutting, Sawa and Rogers on the first team; Johnson and Hopkins on the second team; and sophomore Dylan Pelas as honorable mention. Coach of the Year honors went to the Ilwaco coaching staff, for the second consecutive season.

Caron finished with a team-high .532 batting average while swatting an area-best six home runs. Cutting finished with the second-best batting average, at .491, while accumulating a team-high 28 hits and 19 stolen bases.

Ilwaco softball

The Ilwaco girls softball team concluded their season after losing to Ocosta 12-0 in a district playoff loser-out matchup last Wednesday, May 15 in Centralia. The Lady Fishermen (10-10) went 1-2 in the district playoffs, including a memorable 2-0 first-round win over Rainier before falling to Forks and Ocosta. Ilwaco finished in fifth place in a highly-competitive Pacific League division and ranked 21st in the WIAA 2B state rankings among 47 teams.

Ilwaco will lose one senior to graduation, third basemen Kaitlyn Banuet.

Naselle softball

The Naselle softball team (7-11) will enter the WIAA 1B State Tournament seeded eighth in the double-elimination round against top seed Liberty Christian (21-4) this Friday, May 24 in Yakima.

The Comets lost their season finale against Mossyrock 18-3 on Thursday, May 16. Naselle was limited to five hits in the loss while the Vikings amassed 14 hits and were fueled by a nine-run fourth inning outburst.

Up next: The Comets will face Liberty Christian at 12 p.m. Friday, May 24, at the Gateway Sports Complex in Yakima.

Pe Ell/Willapa Valley softball

The Pe Ell/Willapa Valley softball team (17-6) finished in fourth place in the district tournament, qualifying the Titans for the upcoming WIAA 2B State Tournament.

The Titans will enter the tournament seeded eighth out of 11 teams and will face off against No. 9 seed Northwest Christian (18-5) in a loser-out game on Friday, May 24 in Yakima.

The Titans played four games in three days in districts to qualify, including a 4-2 opening round loss to Onalaska, followed by a 6-4 win over Raymond/South Bend and 11-6 victory over Toledo before falling to Ocosta 2-0.

Up next: The Pe Ell/Willapa Valley Titans will face Northwest Christian in a loser-out game at 10 a.m. Friday, May 24 at the Gateway Sports Complex in Yakima.

Raymond/South Bend softball

The Raymond/South Bend softball team (9-8) had their season come to an end after losing to Adna and Pe Ell/Willapa Valley last week in the district playoffs. The Ravens finished ranked 12th in the most recent WIAA 2B state rankings among 48 teams.