YAKIMA – Moses Lake came out swinging at the Class 4A state slowpitch tournament Friday at the Gateway Sports Complex.

The top-seeded Mavericks (18-1) delivered an early knockout to No. 8 Lake Washington 21-0 in the quarterfinals, then outslugged fourth-seeded Skyview 10-6 in the semifinals to advance to Saturday’s 2 p.m. championship.

Four-time defending champion Chiawana, seeded seventh, awaits in the title game. The Riverhawks were on the ropes in their semifinal against No. 3 West Valley, the local favorite and Moses Lake’s CBBN brethren.

Chiawana scored seven runs in the top of the seventh inning to force extra innings, and added five in the eighth to top the Rams 21-17 to return to the championship for the fifth straight year.

Moses Lake outlasted the Riverhawks 17-12 in the opening week of the season, but Mavericks coach Mike Hofheins didn’t put too much stock in the matchup that was nearly seven weeks ago.

“They’re greatly improved from when we played them, and they’re used to being in the championship game,” Hofheins said.

In its semifinal victory, Moses Lake trailed 6-3 going to the bottom of the fifth, before a five-run rally keyed by a two-run double by Addi Reffett.

An inning later, Hayden Morris added the second of her two home runs to help the Mavericks put away the Storm.

“They showed a lot of resilience when things weren’t going their way,” Hofheins said of his team. “It’s such a game of momentum, and it wasn’t on our side. And they willed their way to victory.”

The Mavericks’ day started by scoring 10 runs in the first inning of their quarterfinal against the Kangaroos, and they cruised from there.

Moses Lake finished with 25 hits, including home runs by Reffett, Morris, Avery Getzinger and Mya Martinez.

Getzinger finished with four hits – including a three-run homer and two-run double – while Reffett had four hits and two RBI, and Martinez collected three hits and drove in three.

West Valley (17-4) looked destined for a final berth before the Riverhawks (21-6) rallied. Ashleigh James totaled four hits, including a solo home run, and knocked in three runs.

Madi Stadler added three hits and three RBI, and Ainsley Johnson had two hits and three RBI.

The Rams, who are making their first state appearance since 2022, began the day before dawn, taking batting practice at its school's facilities before making the 7-mile trip to the tournament site for the 9 a.m. quarterfinal against sixth-seeded Union.

WV topped the Titans 4-2 with Calleigh Sinne going 3-for-3 with two runs and an RBI.

To get to the medal round, the Rams will have to beat Lake Washington at 10 a.m. Saturday.