SELAH — In moments both subtle and spectacular Saturday afternoon, the Burlington-Edison softball team made it clear it wasn’t going to let another championship slip away.

Starting pitcher Lindsey Dawson turned in a ferocious performance — with both her arm and her bat — the Tigers supported her with big plays throughout the game and the Tigers dropped Ellensburg 5-1 in the title game to claim the Class 2A state championship.

“The kids battled well today,” Burlington-Edison coach Darcy Taylor said. “You couldn’t see more of a team win.”

The victory came a year after the Tigers, with primarily the same lineup, lost the championship to Othello. The win seemed a fitting capstone to the careers of the squad’s seniors, who have been to state the last four years.

“This is as good as it gets,” senior shortstop Amy Entrikin said.

Dawson struck out 10 Ellensburg batters and held the squad to no earned runs on two hits. She also hit a three-run home run in the fifth inning and turned in a dramatic defensive play in the fifth, lunging forward and hitting the dirt to catch a short popup for a crucial third out with two runners on.

That thrilling defensive play was just one of several for the Tigers in both the championship game and their 5-3 win over Tumwater in the semifinals.

In the championship game, third baseman Jasmine Rigelman and first baseman Rachelle Berry teamed up to shut down a bunt attempt on their first defensive try of the game. Later, second baseman Sam Rigelman fielded a tough chopper to get the runner at first.

Dawson said she gets a confidence boost with the Tigers’ defense behind her.

“I have all the confidence in the world in every player out there,” she said. “Everyone contributed and did an amazing job.”

The Tigers went up 1-0 in the first inning against Ellensburg behind a run-scoring single from Dawson, which scored center fielder Rachel Tingley.

Ellensburg (24-2) tied the game in the fifth when shortstop Ariana Bauer, who had walked to open the inning, scored on an error.

But the Tigers bolted ahead in the fifth when Berry lofted a run-scoring single to left-center to make the score 2-1. And Dawson jumped on the first pitch she saw in the following at-bat for a three-run home run to center field to widen the gap and stretch the score to 5-1.

Dawson said the experience of last year’s championship game helped the Tigers prepare for Saturday’s title game.

“We knew what it felt like to be in a pressure situation, and we learned how to use the extra adrenaline,” she said.

Taylor said the Tigers had high expectations for themselves this season, and worked hard to meet them.

“We knew the expectations of not only us, but the fans, the school — everyone. There was pressure on us,” Taylor said. “But the kids did the work, and it’s awesome.”

Ashlynn Ishikawa had a pair of singles in the championship game for Burlington-Edison.

Jasmine Rigelman had two singles and three RBI in the semifinal game against Tumwater. She also turned in a sharp defensive game, tracking a ball into foul territory for a good grab in the fifth inning and leaping to catch a bouncer in the sixth before throwing to Berry at first for the out.

The championship is the second for the Burlington-Edison softball team, which won in Class 3A slowpitch softball in 1987.

• Trevor Pyle can be reached at 360-416-2156 or by e-mail at