Woodinville All-Stars Finish Second in State After Loss to Kirkland

The scoreboard may have read 11-0, but the smiles on the faces of the Woodinville 12-and-under all-stars were those of winners.

Woodinville lost 11-0 to Kirkland in five innings in the Washington State Little League Softball State Championship game at the Northshore Athletic Fields in Woodinville on Friday night to finish as the second best team in the state for the second consecutive season.

"We played tough and we were loose and we had fun," Woodinville coach Rich Janshen said. "The girls all left with smiles, we had a blast, it was a good run."

Woodinville was facing an uphill task heading into the game, needing to win twice in two days to unseat the two-time state champions from Kirkland. The District 8 champions had gained some momentum from playing the dominant Kirkland team close in an 8-5 loss earlier in the tournament, but ultimately fell victim to the potent Kirkland offense.

"Having an 8-5 game with them, it was a tough game and at that point the girls realized they were beatable, so they came in loose, knowing that they didn't have anything to lose," Janshen said. "Kirkland had to play an "A" game and they did. To their credit, they did a great job."

Kirkland jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, taking advantage of some control issues for Woodinville starter Taylor Rhinehart. Rhinehart walked three in the second inning as Kirkland broke the game open. Gina Wyner came into the game and pitched well, but Kirkland continued to tack on to its lead, scoring in every inning.

"Taylor has pitched fantastic all season long and even in the post-season," Janshen said. "We just weren't getting her calls and she struggled a little bit and got a little frustrated."

Woodinville threatened to get back in the game in the third inning, loading the bases with two outs, trailing 6-0. But Kirkland starter Lisa Nelson got Erin McGrath to fly out to end Woodinville's only real threat. Nelson surrendered just one hit over five innings, striking out nine.

"We just didn't quite get it going," Woodinville manager Clint Rhinehart said.

Kirkland put the game away in the fourth inning, with Talia Starr's two-run triple making it 9-0, before adding on two more runs in the fifth to invoke the 10-run "mercy rule."

It was the second consecutive year that Woodinville's all-star season ended at the hands of Kirkland, following last season's loss in the 11-and-under division state championship game. Despite the loss, the Woodinville team was in good spirits following the game, posing for pictures with their second-place trophy.

"I really didn't have a lot of words for them, to tell you the truth," Rhinehart said. "Basically I was just proud of everyone. I have some girls who have never played all-stars before. This is fantastic."