SELAH — Ellensburg eliminated Ephrata from 2A District 5 competition after a 13-2 loss Tuesday at Carlon Park, ending the 2026 softball season for the Lady Tigers.

They finished with an 11-14 overall record, and placed fourth both in the CWAC tournament and final league standings at 9-7.

Their postseason run opened May 6 with a 10-0, first-round loss at top-seeded East Valley at Yakima. Bouncing back, the Lady Tigers beat Prosser 17-4 in a Saturday loser-out contest at Carlon Park, but fell 20-4 to Selah in the semifinal round two hours later. The elimination loss to Ellensburg came three days later.

Despite that, first-year Ephrata coach Lesa Trevino commended her players for their efforts and progress.

"Finishing fourth in districts is something this group should be proud of. But more than anything, I'm proud of the bond this team built throughout the season," Trevino said. "The girls really learned how to support each other and compete together through both the highs and lows of the year."

For the season, senior Dakota Durfee led the Lady Tigers in doubles (nine), home runs (three) and runs scored (32). Junior Bailey Falconer drove in a team-high 27 runs with six doubles and two home runs.

Several freshmen sparked much of the offense. Cami Martinez hit .484 with 30 hits, three triples, a home run and a team-high 16 stolen bases. Ella Piturachsatit hit .365 with 27 hits and 18 RBIs. Brynnle Leonard hit .340 with 14 RBIs.

Two frosh players also handled the bulk of the pitching. Haley Trusty compiled an 8-4 record with 62 strikeouts in 77 innings across 18 appearances. Those included a complete-game, one-hit shutout at Quincy on April 25 in which she struck out nine in the Tigers' 8-0 win. Sidney Chornuk went 3-4 in 47 innings and struck out 11 in a complete-game win over Othello on April 23.

May 9 vs Prosser — Ephrata 17, Prosser 4

In the high-scoring district victory over Prosser, Falconer drove in five on a 3-for-4 day with a home run. Durfee added a home run, three runs scored and two RBIs. Martinez went 3-for-3 with three runs and two stolen bases. Chornuk drove in three. Bayleigh French and Piturachsatit each drove in runs. Trusty pitched five innings, allowed two hits and no earned runs while striking out seven.

May 9 vs Selah — Selah 20, Ephrata 4

Ephrata got battered early on in Saturday afternoon's semifinal game against second-seeded Selah, which scored eight runs in the first inning, seven in the second and five in the third.

Ephrata got on the board in the fourth when Riley Trusty tripled and scored on Piturachsatit's groundout. In the fifth, Regan Shannon's pinch-hit double scored Durfee, and Martinez's two-run double drove in Hannah Hull and Shannon.

May 12 vs Ellensburg — Ellensburg 13, Ephrata 2

On Tuesday, the Lady Bulldogs also struck early, scoring in every inning and putting the game out of reach with a six-run outburst in the fourth. They finished with nine hits and took advantage of seven Tigers errors in the five-inning contest. Only six of the Ellensburg runs were earned.

Piturachsatit batted 2-for-3 for Ephrata, and Martinez singled. In the top of the fourth frame, a Chornuk bunt scored Piturachsatit. Falconer reached on an error, then advanced and came home on another Ellensburg error for Ephrata's second run.

MORE REFLECTIONS ON THE SEASON

"A lot of our younger players stepped into bigger moments as the season went on," Trevino said. "Haley stepping into important pitching situations late in the season was huge for us, and we also had girls continue growing into leadership roles at the varsity level."

Trevino praised Durfee, the team's lone senior, saying 'Kota "brought competitiveness and experience every day while also helping keep the team connected throughout the season."

After losing eight of their first nine games, Ephrata won five straight in mid-April against Grandview, Toppenish and Prosser, then four in a row against Othello and Quincy.

"It happened naturally as the season went on," Trevino said of the team's growth. "By the end of the year, the girls were communicating better, trusting each other more, and really learning how to compete together as a team."

It's a young team, and Ephrata returns nearly its entire roster next spring.

"With another year of experience under them and two seniors returning next season, I'm excited to see how this group continues to grow," Trevino said.