Oak Harbor’s Patti Miessner earned a spot in the semifinals of the national Pitch, Hit and Run contest and will compete at Safeco Field in Seattle Sunday, June 12.
Miessner found out about her qualification Tuesday and will join Oak Harbor’s Taryn Hardy in the event. Hardy was notified May 30. (See the June 4 edition of the Whidbey News-Times for more details on Hardy’s selection.)
Miessner, the daughter of Travis and Thea Miessner, won the local competition in May with the best overall score after recording the top marks in running and pitching.
At the sectional, she again posted the best overall score while winning the running and hitting competitions.
Winning the sectional, however, didn’t guarantee Miessner, 14, a spot in the semifinals. Only the athletes with the top three scores from all the sectionals held in Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Montana and British Columbia were invited to compete at Safeco Field Sunday following the Mariners’ 1:10 p.m. game with the Texas Rangers.
Miessner will be joined in the 13/14 softball division by Carly Carraher of Portland and Abbi Taylor from Star, Idaho.
Each Major League Baseball team will hold a semifinal round, and the winners at each MLB park advance to the finals.
The finals are July 11 in San Diego as part of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game festivities.
If Miessner qualifies for the finals, it will be a short trip to Petco Park. Her family is moving from Oak Harbor to San Diego June 18.
Although Miessner has played softball the past eight years, this is the first time she has entered the PH&R contest.
Reaching the semifinals is another impressive accomplishment in a year of strong athletic performances by Miessner, an eighth-grader at Oak Harbor Middle School.
She won titles in middle school cross country, wrestling and track as well as posting stellar times swimming for the North Whidbey Aquatic Club.
“I am incredibly happy to have made it this far,” Miessner said, “I didn’t think I would make it here in the beginning, and now that I did it is hard to believe. I really don’t know how I feel, but I am thrilled to be at this point.”
