When the Enumclaw High fastpitch squad encounters the Bishop Blanchet bunch at the Class 3A state fastpitch tournament at the South End Recreation Area (SERA) fields in Tacoma at 11 a.m. Friday, the Braves would be better off knowing two things coming into that blue-field, game-seven rendezvous.

Hornets’ coach Michael Eckhart was clicking his heels when he discovered his experienced crew was facing Blanchet, first, because he has seen the Braves perform on several occasions from his coaching days at Sammamish High and he is cognizant of Blanchet’s strengths and weaknesses. And second, his Hornets played what could be regarded as their unluckiest contest of the 2009 campaign at Friday and Saturday’s West Central District 3 tournament at Sprinker Recreation Center in Parkland, Wash. And guess what? They’re so over it.

The Hornets started off the tournament by slipping past a fierce Timberline squad out of the Olympic Western League 2-1. Enumclaw’s sophomore slinger Austin Rogers spun a jewel of a game against the Trailblazers, relinquishing only two hits and wiffing seven batters.

But it was the final play of the game that had everything to do with the score. With one out in the top of the seventh Timberline had a runner on third when a Blazer batter smashed a fly ball to the right pasture. The glove in right field, Sharidan Snider, flagged down the grapefruit and rocketed a picturesque throw to senior catcher Ashley Dell’Osa for the game-ending double play and the EHS triumph.

“That throw by Sharidan was right on the button and it was quick enough to give me time to position myself for the tag at home to complete the twin killing,” Dell’Osa said.

Fast fowarding to the bottom of the seventh frame of EHS’ next game, four hours later, versus Columbia River from the Greater St. Helen’s League. Things were going swimmingly for the Hornets as Dell’Osa and Kassie Young had just belted back-to-back doubles in the top of the seventh to put Enumclaw up 4-2 with three outs remaining.

The Hornets got two of those outs pronto, but then things went south in a hurry.

With two out in the bottom of the seventh and the bases loaded for Coulmbia River, Rogers rung up her eighth batter of the wild affair and that strike out should have been it; Enumclaw wins 4-2, right?

Wrong. Supposedly, Dell’Osa hadn’t stepped on home plate, which would have constituted the third out by a force, and hadn’t picked up the dropped third strike and zipped it to the initial pillow, virtually assuring the K and the third out.

Well, the Chieftain that was on third scored and the bases were still loaded with two away. Each member of the Columbia River team began to stroke their four leaf clovers and CRHS recorded another run to knot the tally at four apiece, sending the crazy contest into bonus frames.

Enumclaw, still in shock, could muster no offensive production in the top of the eighth and CRHS slimed a run across the pay station for the stunning 5-4 victory.

“We talked about that game at length, because while some of those late Chieftain runs were debatable, we did end up making five errors in that game and that to me was unforgivable, especially as good of a team as we are defensively,” Eckhart said. “So we discussed that game before our Saturday games and told the girls just make the outs – outs. Be fundamentally sound on defense, win these Saturday contests and we will be going to the 16-team state tournament at SERA next weekend. It’s just that simple.”

The girls obviously took stock in what their mentor had to say, because low and behold, the Hornets played the next 14 innings error-free, beating Olympic 4-1 and Capital 8-0, to earn the fourth seed going to state out of the total of seven from the West Central District.

In its first Saturday tilt, Enumclaw’s wily veteran on the hill, senior pitcher and slugger Jill Stewart struck out a dozen Olympic hopefuls, allowing only three Bear hits in the morning onslaught and in the afternoon drubbing of Capital, the outcome was never in doubt as Rogers had another superb outing and speedy Enumclaw lead-off runner, senior, centerfielder Taylor Franich dented the dish twice against the Cougars, swiping her fifth and sixth bases of the tournament.

Reach John Leggett at jleggett@courierherald.com or 360-802-8207.