The Thomas Jefferson girls fastpitch team really couldn’t be any hotter entering the postseason.
The Raiders have won seven games in a row and 11 of their last 12. Included in those wins was a 3-0 victory over previously unbeaten Kentlake on April 30 and junior pitcher Jessica Dickson has been ultra-impressive during the Raiders’ winning streak.
Dickson and the rest of TJ’s defense have not allowed a single run since Kentwood scored during a 5-4 Raider win on April 22. Dickson is currently on a 24-inning scoreless streak.
Jefferson (12-5) ended the South Puget Sound League North Division in second place with an 11-3 league record. Kentlake won the division championship with a 13-1 record. The Raiders rolled over winless Federal Way Thursday in their regular-season finale, 17-0. Dickson allowed just one hit during the five-inning game and struck out nine.
Offensively, the Raiders were led by Stephanie Ogle. The senior first baseman finished 3-for-4 with five RBIs. Sophomore Hannah Kiyohara was 3-for-3 and Lauren Stark was 2-for-3 with a double and a stolen base. Jefferson scored eight runs in the bottom of the first and six more in the second.
The Raiders will take on the Graham-Kapowsin Eagles in the opening round of the two-day, double-elimination South Puget Sound League Tournament at 4 p.m. at the Service Fields in Kent on Friday. Graham-Kapowsin (8-7) finished fifth in the SPSL South Division.
Jefferson is guaranteed a berth into the 16-team West Central District Tournament, which will be held May 16-17 at the Sprinker Recreation Center in Tacoma. The top-six finishers at the district tournament will advance to the state tournament.
Jefferson will be the lone Federal Way school district representative in the postseason. Decatur downed Tahoma Thursday in their season finale, 6-5. The win improved the Gators to 6-10 on the year. Decatur center fielder Lindsey Bright finished 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a solo home run in the first inning. Sarah Isaac ended up 2-for-4 with an RBI and Spencer Sherwin finished 2-for-2. Jenn Wagner got the win on the mound for the Gators.
Soccer
The Todd Beamer Titans continued their strong late-season push with a huge 2-1 victory over Puyallup Friday. The loss was Puyallup’s first SPSL South loss of the season and moved the Titans into third place in the South heading into the SPSL Tournament.
The Titans (9-3-2) will play Tahoma at 6 p.m. at Bethel High School for seeding into Saturday’s West Central District Tournament. Tahoma finished third in the North Division.
Against Puyallup (11-1-2), Beamer jumped out to a 2-0 lead on a pair of goals from Alan Kim. Kim took a pass from Daniel Nam in the 32nd minute and converted on an assist from Troy Peterson early in the second half. Puyallup’s only goal came in the closing minutes from Justin Veltung.
Jefferson secured second place in the North with a 2-2 tie Friday night against Kentlake. The Raiders (8-3-3) overcame a 2-0 deficit on second-half goals from Amos Nistrian and Miguel Toscano.
Jefferson will take on Curtis at 8 p.m. at Tahoma High School tonight in a battle between the two second-place finishers from the North and South divisions. The winner will be the SPSL’s third seed into districts and the loser will take the league’s fourth berth.
Tennis
The SPSL North sub-district tournament kicked off yesterday (after press time) and continues today at Kent-Meridian High School.
The tournament will be continued Friday and Saturday at the Sprinker Recreation Center in Tacoma with crossover matches between the North and South divisions. The top-nine finishers at the SPSL Tournament advance to the West Central District Tournament.
Sports editor Casey Olson: 925-5565, sports@fedwaymirror.com
