State softball

4A

Where/When: SERA Fields, Tacoma – Friday starting at 11 a.m., continues Saturday.

Local first-round matchups: Shadle Park (23-2) vs. North Kitsap (14-9), 11 a.m.; Mead (21-6) vs. Wilson (Tacoma) (20-2), 11 a.m.; University (21-3) vs. Decatur (21-6), 1 p.m.

Fast facts: North Kitsap’s Vikings are making their first trip to state. They qualified sixth out of the Bi-District, losing to perennial power Prairie (20-6) 6-2 in the final game. … Wilson finished second in the Bi-District, which gets seven berths to state this year. The Rams lost to Skyview (20-3) 2-1 in the district final. Wilson has made three previous appearances in the state fastpitch tournament, and its last two ended in defeats to the eventual champion. In 2003 the Rams lost 10-1 to U-Hi in the quarters and last year they lost 3-2 in nine innings to Inglemoor in the semis. … Inglemoor is not one of the seven teams from last year competing again. … Decatur is making its first state appearance; U-Hi is making its 10th consecutive. Golden Gators pitcher Rachael Painter, the South Puget Sound League South Division MVP, is 21-5 with a 0.55 earned run average. Decatur’s lone senior was named to the Seattle Times all-area team after striking out 279 in 177 2/3 innings. The Gators were the last team to qualify out of the Bi-District, defeating Auburn 5-4 in a game they trailed heading into the seventh.

3A

Where/When: SERA Fields, Tacoma – Friday starting at 9 a.m., continues Saturday.

Local first-round matchup: North Central (13-10) vs. Black Hills (15-3), 9 a.m.

Fast facts: The Indians are making their first trip to state, winning two consecutive loser-out games at the East Regional to do so. … The Wolves are making their third consecutive trip to state. Last year they finished fourth after losing in the second round. … Defending champion Yelm did not qualify this year. … Only six teams that played last year are back in the 16-team field, and two of them (Sequim and Hanford) play each other in the first round.

2A

Where/When: Walla Walla Point Park, Wenatchee – Friday starting at 10 a.m., continues Saturday.

Local first-round matchups: Lakeside-Nine Mile Falls (12-12) vs. Montesano, 10 a.m.; Colville (21-1) vs. Elma, noon.

Fast facts: Colville is 6-1 against state tournament teams. The Indians opened the season with a 7-3 win over Elma, split two games with Omak, shut out Othello and swept two from Lakeside. The seventh game? An early-season 1-0 win over Lake Stevens, which is 18-2 and playing in the 4A tournament. … On April 23, Lakeside was 2-10, far from any hopes of its fifth appearance in the last six years. Then the Eagles ran off 10 wins in their last 12 games, losing only to 1A state qualifier Freeman and GNL second-place Medical Lake, both by one run.

1A

Where/When: Lauzier Athletic Complex, Moses Lake – Friday starting at 10 a.m., continues Saturday.

Local first-round matchups: Colfax (15-8) vs. Friday Harbor, 10 a.m.; Freeman (17-5) vs. Royal, noon.

Fast Facts: Kettle Falls won the Northeast A’s first fastpitch softball state title last year, and for Freeman to make it two years in a row for the league, it’ll need big performances from a pair of freshmen. Lauren Nooner is 10-2 and Casey Olsen is 6-1 on the mound for the Scotties, who have won 12 straight games. … Lynnea Vantrease (15-7) threw all but seven innings this year for Colfax.

B

Where/When: Kiwanis Fields, Yakima – Friday starting at 10 a.m., continues Saturday.

Local first-round matchups: Selkirk (20-4) vs. Colton (21-3), 10 a.m.; Liberty (19-6) vs. Morton, 10 a.m.; Inchelium (21-6) vs. Evergreen Lutheran, noon; Curlew (24-2) vs. Entiat, 2 p.m.; Odessa (17-10) vs. Touchet, 2.

Fast Facts: Liberty’s first-round opponent, Morton, has played in the three State B fastpitch championships held since the WIAA sanctioned fastpitch softball at the B level in 2002. Morton won the last two and finished second in ‘02. … Selkirk and Curlew have both played in the last two State B tournaments. Selkirk went two-and-out both times, and the Cougars went 1-2 both years. … Inchelium has a state softball title, but it came at the 1989 State B slowpitch tournament.