Joseph Henrickson
Staff Writer

Pierce College has been busy, with both the girls’ softball team and the boys’ baseball team entering the playoffs this past week.  The girls started off the tournament losing their first game to Spokane ten to three and tried to fight their way up through the loser’s bracket.

Following the loss, they played Highline Community College and won that game five to four and the next game against Columbia Basin by a score of nine to eight before getting eliminated in a loss to Bellevue Community College, six to one.

The girls will have to try for a championship again next year but finished the regular season in magnificent fashion to win the division and make the playoffs.

The baseball team has made their way through the loser’s bracket after being beat by Yakima Valley in their second game.  The first game against Linn-Benton resulted in a Raiders win by the score of seven to two.

Elliot Morris was the starter in game two. That usually means a guaranteed win for Pierce but that wasn’t the case this time.  Morris allowed a total of six runs [four earned] in the six to two loss that sent the Raiders into the loser’s bracket.

As of press time, the Raiders have beat Tacoma Community College three to one and faced Yakima Valley for a second time, beating them by a score of five to two.  Those wins have led Pierce College to play for their second straight NWAACC Championship, this year against Everett Community College.

The Raiders have to beat ECC twice to win the championship in the double elimination tournament but can be eliminated with just one more loss.  The championship game was supposed to start on Memorial Day but was postponed due to inclement weather in Longview, Washington and will not be played until Friday, May 31.

That’s great news for the Raiders as their two top pitchers will be well-rested and ready to go for both games.  Darien Moran and Elliot Morris will both have ample rest before facing off against Everett on Friday.

Everett has been one of the best teams this year, losing only three games in their conference and just nine games all season long.  Now they will have to face two of the toughest pitchers in the league.  Pierce has the toughest two games of the year coming up but there is a lot in their favor and they have a great shot at taking home their second NWAACC Championship in as many years.

In the one game that Pierce played against Everett this year they did not come away with a win.  Elliot Morris started the game and only allowed one run through six innings and handed the ball over to the bullpen.  The game went downhill after that as Everett scored a run in the seventh, three runs in the eighth and a whopping seven runs in the ninth to take the lead and win the game 12 to seven.  Pierce was ahead six to two going into the eighth inning and could not hold on.

Morris has gone into later innings during many games, and if he can keep his pitch count down the Raiders are fair bets to win.  Moran has been stellar as well and the left hander will definitely present some challenges to ECC’s lineup.  All things considered, Pierce College may have an addition to their trophy case next week.