Two years ago, Liberty High School’s fastpitch team had a historical collapse in the state tournament — one that haunted the players, coaches and fans for two years. The Patriots were the number three seed in the state tournament and were up 6-1 in the seventh inning in the quarterfinals against Walla Walla.
In that fateful seventh inning, the Patriots allowed eight runs to come across, sending the Patriots to the loser’s bracket and dashing their state tournament hopes.
That pain made the jubilation two years later worth all the pain as the Liberty Patriots crowned themselves state champions for the first time since 1993 in a 6-4 win over Garfield on May 24 at the Regional Athletic Complex in Lacey.
Liberty Head Coach Joon Huh was in the stands two years ago, as a dad, watching his daughters’ team crumble in the worst way possible. This year in his first season at the helm, he got the Patriots to buy in, turn the corner and become state champions.
“We were playing on house money. They were loose. We woke up today and they were as loose as I have ever seen them all season. I knew that we had a good chance today,” Huh said.
Liberty hoists the 3A State Trophy. Ben Ray / The Reporter
The Patriots faced adversity from pitch one of the game against Garfield. Jordanna King, a Stanford commit, hit a solo home run to start the scoring, the first extra base hit from a player not named Naveah Haagen all tournament against Huh.
But Liberty showed resilience, just as they have shown all year long. Liberty played in the KingCo Crown division, the highest division in the league, and faced almost exclusively 4A teams. Those games helped prepare Liberty for what was to come, giving them the answers before the test even started.
“That was the best thing that could have happened to us. Seeing better pitching prepared us for better competition. It really gave us a leg up,” senior Kaila Siu said.
The Patriots put up all six runs in the first two innings, taking the wind out of the Garfield sails. Emi Connell hit an RBI double with two outs in the first, which started a run of three doubles in a row from Jelly Davies and Berlyn Crockett.
“No matter how much we get down, we always find a way to make a comeback. Every single person on this team makes a contribution that is worthy to this team,” Siu said.
In the second, Siu hit an RBI single and came around to score on an Isabella Rockey little league home run — the Patriot shortstop hit a triple down the right field line and scored on a throwing error to complete the run scoring at-bat.
Garfield mounted a threat in the seventh inning, but just a lone one run came across. A ground ball to Shylo Foltz ended the game and began the water works for players and coaches in blue.
Emi Connell hugs Head Coach Joon Huh after winning the state championship. Ben Ray / The Reporter
“It’s a surreal feeling. I’m just so grateful to be on this team and be under these coaches and all of these girls. It’s a great feeling. It’s something I am going to be chasing the rest of my life,” Siu said.
Siu was just a sophomore on that team, and now as a senior, can call herself a state champion. Across the four games, Siu went 8-for-15 with 6 runs scored, three doubles and one RBI and was a force at the top of the order.
The star and would-be MVP of the tournament was Huh’s daughter Avery. The right-handed junior pitcher did it all for her team. The Saint Mary’s College commit threw in every game with every single pitch more important than the last.
“It’s my defense behind me. My second baseman Kaila Siu talks to me after every pitch and is constantly chirping at me and my shortstop too, they are all bringing me up. I give it all to them,” Huh said.
Huh threw a total of 377 pitches across four games in the two days. She pitched 26.2 innings of the team’s 28 innings played. She struck out 47 batters (11.75 per game), walked just two the entire tournament and only threw over 100 pitches one time (114 vs. Enumclaw). Her connection with Emi Connell behind the dish helps her focus, pitch in and pitch out.
“She knows what I am thinking, I know what she is thinking. We are on the same page and when we aren’t, that’s when problems happen. We are always playing for each other,” Huh said.
Isabella Rockey dives home, just beating the tag from the Garfield catcher. Ben Ray / The Reporter
In the circle she dominated, but she also carried her own at the plate. She broke the game open in the quarterfinals against Enumclaw with a home run and went 5-for-12 in the tournament as a whole.
“She’s risen to the occasion. She’s had some injuries, but this year she’s gone all year with out one. Her mechanics have gotten better,” Joon Huh said about Avery.
The Patriots had an identical start to their tournament this season as they did back in 2023, with a matchup against the Timberline Blazers.
Berlyn Crockett was the story for the Patriots in their first win. The Liberty first baseman went 3-for-4 in the tournament’s opening game, recording her first three-hit performance since April 23.
“I kind of had a slow start to my season, so it felt great to get up early and crush it,” Crockett said.
In the state tournament, Crockett found her stride at the plate. She hit a home run in the win over Timberline and ended the tournament going 6-for-12.
“I’ve been waiting on that. I’ve been working a lot. It felt good to get those for my team and to get the momentum going,” Crockett said.
Crockett aided the Patriots to an 11-6 win and really set the tone for what was to come as Liberty won its eighth game in a row. The Patriots came in as District 2 and KingCo champions, and as a six seed, could be overlooked by some teams.
The win set up a match against third seeded Enumclaw in the quarterfinals, with the Hornets being the higher seed. Liberty had the chance to strike first. Siu wasted no time doing so and scored on a Rockey bunt single after she led the game off with a double.
Rockey was also a difference maker for the Patriots. Rockey originally was supposed to play at Bellevue Christian, but due to the program not having enough players, Rockey could play at her home school.
The Patriots sealed the win over Enumclaw with two runs in the fifth inning and a run in the seventh inning. Emi Connell hit a two run single and got her side into the semifinals. But most importantly, they got home in time for prom.
Connell went from Lacey to Renton and then the Seattle Aquarium for the dance before coming back down to Lacey to prepare for the two biggest games of the senior’s career.
Liberty coaches and athletic director take a photo after winning the state tournament. Ben Ray / The Reporter
“It’s good we won because that would have looked bad coming back from prom. But just the adrenaline, I’ve never experienced this before nor will I ever again. It’s just going our way and I am so grateful,” Connell said after the win over Snohomish.
Liberty was tasked with the tenth seeded Snohomish Panthers in the semifinals, but at this point in the tournament, the top three teams had all been eliminated and just Sedrow-Woolley was the lone top-five team left.
In the 23 years since the sport became a sanctioned WIAA sport, Liberty had made the semifinals four times and the championship just once.
Siu again scored the first run of the game, but Snohomish answered right back and even held a lead for a half inning against Liberty. Heading to the bottom of the third, Liberty trailed 2-1. But Rockey led off the inning with a single and stole second and third before scoring on a wild pitch.
The winning run came across in the fourth on an error from Snohomish’s shortstop on a ball put in play by Huh. Mikayla Kato singled and scored from second base on the error as their coach kept his arm waving from the third base coaches’ box.
The win set up a date with the Garfield Bulldogs in the state championship, a district two final in the 3A state championship.
“We just have to leave everything on the table. These next four hours will be my last with these girls. Let’s just ball,” Connell said.
Liberty did ball and downed the Bulldogs 6-4 after scoring all six runs in the first two innings. Connell, Huh and Siu were right in the middle of all the runs and pushed the Patriots over the line for a state title.
The state champion Patriots persevered all season. They needed a walk-off home run to get out of their first district game against Seattle Prep. The Patriots lost nine games this season, but the losses will be a near footnote as the Patriots won the school’s first team state, non-cheer title since girls’ soccer in 2019.
