Owyhee rolls over Rocky Mountain, 9-4, to win softball title
If not for the towering trees beyond the fence at Mountain Cove Field, a number of softballs likely would have bounced into the road or gotten lost in the brush in the Boise foothills across the street.
It was just that kind of night for Kina Watts.
The Owyhee senior shortstop blasted three home runs as the top-seeded Storm powered their way to a second 5A District Three Tournament championship in the past three seasons with a 9-4 win over Rocky Mountain on Thursday.
Watts hit a solo home run to center field on the first pitch she faced in the second inning, launched another solo dinger to right field in the fifth and put the icing on the cake with a two-run shot in the sixth.
“It just feels really good, especially because this is my senior year,” said Watts, who finished 3-for-4 with four RBIS. “This is the last district tournament that I’m ever gonna play in before I go off to college, so it just felt really good.”
But Watts wasn’t the only Owyhee hitter with a hot bat in the district title game.
Senior center fielder Rylie Haith went yard in the fourth inning — a three-run blast — and connected on another home run in the sixth.
“It was crazy,” Haith said. “Three home runs in one game is insane. We were kind of having a competition to see who could get more, and Kina beat me.”
The Storm (20-2) totaled 13 hits in the win, bringing their season total to 310. They’re averaging a 5A Sic-leading 12.8 runs per game and boast a team batting average of .464. Owyhee has racked up 67 home runs this season, with 11 different players accounting for one home run or more.
Six players have hit eight or more homers this season: catcher Haiylee Reeves (12), left fielder Mantha Hatzenbeller (10),
Haith (9), right fielder Mckenna Schab (9), Watts (8) and third baseman Grace Brooks (8).
“That’s what they’ve done all season,” Owyhee coach Tess Martin said. “That’s what they’ve done the last three years. There’s no doubt in my mind. They’re just solid.”
Owyhee took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning with Watts’ first home run of the game, followed by an RBI single from Hatzenbeller. Then Rocky Mountain (15-12) tied it up with a pair of solo home runs, from senior Timber Sanders in the third and senior first baseman Savannah Henzler in the fourth.
But even with 43 hits, including 12 home runs, over their past four games, the Grizzlies just couldn’t keep up with the Storm’s bats.
Owyhee plated seven more runs over the final three innings to collect the program’s second district title in just its third year of existence. Now the Storm have their sights set on a second consecutive state championship.
The 5A state pairings will be determined by the final Maxpreps rankings, which will likely be updated Sunday or Monday. The state tourney will be played May 16-18 at Post Falls High.
“There’s a lot of people that are not big fans of us because we have a lot of talent,” Martin said. “But to come together and be regular-season champions and district champions that just goes to show that over a long period of time we’re continuing to do what we need to do to be
one of the top teams.
“We’re not done yet. We still have a lot of work to do, but we’re off to a good start.”
4A: BISHOP KELLY ADDS TO HAUL
Bishop Kelly scored 10 runs in the third inning as it cruised past Skyview 12-2 in five innings in the 4A District Three Tournament championship Thursday on its home field.
It was the Knights’ third dis
trict title in the past four seasons and 10th overall since joining the 4A classification in 2001.
Bella Rausch went 3for-3 at the plate with two
RBIS and earned the win in the circle for BK (20-3) with 10 strikeouts. Lauren Fettic connected on a three-run home run in the third, and Julia Baerlocher had a home run and a triple.
The Knights earned a spot at state with the win, while Skyview (15-12) will face Emmett (16-6) for the league’s other berth at 11 a.m. Saturday at Bishop Kelly.
Rachel Roberts: 208-377-6422, @Byrachelroberts