WARDEN – The Warden Cougars Softball team won both games of their doubleheader against Columbia to earn the second-place spot in the Eastern Washington Athletic Conference softball tournament.

“My mindset was to come in, attack the ball, have fun and obviously win,” said Cougars’ senior Genesis Ozuna. “We got a good spot for the district tournament and that’s what we wanted.”

The Cougars won their first game 9-6 and their second game 10-7. Their wins Thursday now allow them to play at home in the first game of league playoffs, said Cougars coach Randy Wright.

“It was either going to be us or them,” said Wright. “We set our goals to be more aggressive today and the girls did a great job.”

The team had a great two games on both sides of the ball as batters like senior Haley Sicklovan had great performances and hit the ball very well throughout both games, he said. Jamilex Pruneda pitched the first game and Lindsey Grubb pitched in the second with both girls pitching solid with the defense putting up stops when necessary.

Wright said this season has been good because they’ve played more of the top teams in the state, as it has made the team stronger and better prepared for the playoffs. Now that they have the advantage in the postseason, they are looking to continue peaking and playing well.

“I think as far as preparation goes, they show up every day and work hard,” said Wright. “Some inexperience, but they’ve really made a lot of progress and come a long way, they’ve been through the fire and now they’re ready.”

The team’s ability to come together every game has been its greatest strength this season. Every player seems to have each other's back when it matters most, said the coach.

“I’m looking forward to just playing for my girls and just being with the girls that I love the most,” said Sicklovan.

Along with going to the playoffs, the seniors on the team are looking back on their time as a Cougar and preparing themselves for their final games at the high school. Cougars senior Dannika Escamilla said the best part of her experience has been to grow the bond with her teammates over the years and now use that to make a push to go to state.

“This is my last sports season for the high school, so I really want to enjoy it,” said Cougars senior Shelby Cole. “Spend some time in the sun, have fun with my team, have a good last month of senior year.”

Wright said he has had the opportunity to work with a lot of these players for a very long time, some being from the time they were in first grade. He said that the team is ready to go on to the postseason with their home game Tuesday, with what he has grown to know about the girls and what he saw from the game on Thursday from both the players and the crowd.

“I’m glad we got a lot of support from our community,” said Wright.

The Cougars will be playing at home at 4 p.m. Tuesday in the first round of the EWAC softball tournament.