The future is very, very bright for the Todd Beamer softball program.
The Titans finished up their first-ever trip to the Class 4A State Tournament Saturday with an eighth-place finish at Merkel Park in Spokane. Beamer (23-9) ended up 2-2 during state with wins over Bothell and Lake Stevens.
And the Titans did it with only one senior seeing playing time during their run. Head coach Brian Hering will return eight starters next season, including All-South Puget Sound League South Division pitcher Madison Rogers.
Rogers won all 23 games for Beamer this season, throwing 204 innings and striking out a school record 301 hitters. She finished with a 2.26 earned-run average. Also back will be six hitters who topped .300 this year, including Analee Scott (.461, 33 runs) and Megan Jewett-Chan (.398, 33 RBIs).
Against Bothell in their opener, the Titans took a 5-0 lead with single runs in the first, third, fourth and two in the second. Beamer then tallied four runs in the bottom of the sixth to put the game away.
The Titans got home runs from Maddy Colson and Halle Colson and two RBIs each from Kelsey McDonnell, Scott and Jewett-Chan. Rogers allowed only three hits and struck out 11. Both runs were also unearned.
Beamer than ran into the eventual state champions in the quarterfinals. Arlington shut out the Titans, 12-0. Beamer had only three hits and also committed five errors in the field. Maddy Colson, Scott and Jourdin Hering had the only hits for the Titans.
After falling into the consolation bracket, Beamer assured themselves a trophy with a 4-0 shutout of Lake Stevens. Rogers allowed only four hits and struck out six. Offensively, the Titans got another home run from Taylor Weimern-Pierce, who finished with two RBIs. Halle Colson ended up 3 for 3 and McDonnell and Hering had the other two RBIs for the Titans.
Against Newport, Beamer fell behind 7-2 after the second inning, but fought back before falling 9-8 Saturday. McDonnell finished 3 for 5 with two runs, two doubles and an RBI and Jewett-Chan and Hering both knocked in a pair of runs for the Titans. Rogers and Scott both had a pair of hits. Rogers threw all seven innings and allowed only two earned runs, while striking out eight.
