After being crowned the 3A state champions a year ago, the Auburn Riverside Ravens softball team knows they are getting every team’s best shot. Now that they bumped up to 4A, their schedule gets even tougher.

The Ravens took on an undefeated Tahoma on April 4 and fell 12-5 at home for just their third loss of the season. Head Coach Bryce Strand knew it was going to be an uphill battle as his star pitcher Danica Butler was not going to be in the circle for his side. But the combination of Makenna Vircks and Kaylee Curtis did well despite the circumstances against a difficult Tahoma lineup.

“With that lineup, as stacked as it is, it is going to be hard to get a lot of zeros across the innings. I was really proud of our young pitchers for limiting the damage because they are going to get their hits,” Strand said.

Tahoma got on board in the first after Mia Hammington hit a leadoff home run, one of four round-trippers for the Bears in their seven-run win. Alexa Ramirez doubled as well in the first, giving Tahoma a 2-0 lead as fans were filtering to their seats.

The Ravens answered right back with a run of their own. Sloan Cross tallied a single, her first of a three-hit night as she came around to score on a wild pitch.

Auburn Riverside’s top three in the batting order really made Tahoma starter Alexa Ramirez work. The top three of Hannah Potter, Cross and Seneca Aarstad went a combined 8-12, 2 HR, 2 R, 2B, 2 RBI in the loss, with 13 total bases between the three of them.

As a team, despite losing by seven, the Ravens’ offense had the same number of total hits as the Bears with 13, a good sign for Strand.

“Our girls are just a bit more confident. We had a really big week of practice. We had a really good vibe and they were going to come out and attack. Our girls were on it,” Strand said.

Tahoma never scored more than three runs in an inning, which they did three times.

“I was making sure they weren’t letting everything get to them and having a short memory. I was telling them to be confident and I think as they grow they are going to get better,” Potter said.

Auburn Riverside was down 5-1 in the third inning and had runners on second and third in Cross and Aarstad, but couldn’t cash in. In the fourth, the Ravens struck for a single run on a Potter double and trailed 5-2 heading into the fifth.

“In our program, we are all about being the best version of ourselves we can be and the score takes care of itself. I thought we played really well tonight. … We proved to ourselves that we can play with anybody,” Strand said.

The two biggest swings of the night came late in the game for the Ravens. They didn’t amount to a ton of runs, but the quality of the at-bats shined. Ashley Langford took Ramirez to eight pitches and hit a two-run home run on that eighth pitch. Four batters later, leading off the top of the bottom of the sixth, Potter had a 12 pitch at-bat that resulted in a home run as well. Potter’s at-bat was truly a battle — she fouled off seven pitches, including one off her knee cap. Battered and bruised, Potter took the next pitch to dead centerfield for the fifth and final run of the evening for the Ravens.

“I was very happy about it as well because I swung at a ball. It was either walk or get a hit and I didn’t want to walk,” Potter said.

Potter moved up from Louisiana this past summer and thanks to Strand, Butler and other Ravens has fit with the team like a glove.

“I love this team. They are such a family and so open to everything. They are so fun to be with and are all nice. I feel like my transition was so easy,” Potter said. “I have gotten really close with a lot of them and I really love the team.”

Potter not only is the leadoff hitter, but also the backstop and on-field leader for the Ravens.

“We have really fed off her energy. She is one of those kids where she just lives this game. Really quickly our girls learned that this is a girl that is fiery in a good way and energy and leads by example,” Strand said.

With Butler not in the circle, Strand wants to see her helping the young arms adjust to high school play and become almost another coach with the pitching staff.

“She’s going to have to learn to grow into that role, it’ll be hard on her. She ‘s our best energy and pep talk kid that we have. She’s going to have to grow into that role of ‘I’m gonna hit and be that energy kid on the bench,’” Strand said.

Auburn Riverside plays on April 15 at Mount Rainier for their next game, with their next game at home on April 21 against Auburn.

Tahoma’s Kalani Higa claps toward her dugout after a double. Ben Ray / The Reporter