YAKIMA — Top-seeded East Valley rolled past Ephrata 10-0 in five innings Wednesday in the two teams' Central Washington Athletic Conference district softball playoffs opener.

The Lady Red Devils, ranked No. 10 in WIAA RPI standings, struck early: right fielder Brooklynn Root's three-run home run kicked off EV's four-run first inning. Pitcher Tia Ramynke shut down the Tiger bats, striking out nine over four scoreless innings for the win. Root, pitching in relief, closed it out with a hitless fifth that included two more strikeouts.

Cami Martinez doubled in the third inning for Ephrata's only extra-base hit, and Haley Trusty took the pitching loss.

The first-round setback sends the fourth-seeded Tigers to a loser-out, neutral site matchup against No. 5 Prosser at 11 a.m. Saturday at Selah High School. Ephrata split a home doubleheader with the Mustangs earlier this season. 

Ephrata reached districts despite dropping a regular-season finale doubleheader last Saturday at Ellensburg, falling 18-1 in a five-inning opener, followed by a more-competitive 8-7 loss in the afternoon.

In the second game, the Tigers and host Bulldogs traded leads. Martinez led off the game with a single, stole second and scored on a wild pitch. Sidney Chornuk tagged up to score on a Bailey Falconer fly out for a 2-0 lead. 

In the second inning, Brynnle Leonard singled in Hannah Hull, and Riley Trusty scored on another wild pitch during Ella Piturachsatit's at-bat for a 4-0 Tiger lead. It was quickly erased when Ellensburg erupted for six runs in the bottom of the frame. 

Ephrata surged back for a 7-6 lead in the third on RBI singles from Bayleigh French and Brynnle Leonard and a Martinez bases-loaded walk. But Ellensburg tied the score with a run in the bottom of the inning, then led off the sixth with a double and RBI single for the winning run.

The Tigers concluded the regular season with a 10-12 record, and finished fourth in the CWAC standings at 9-7.