Oak Harbor High School will make its first trip to the district softball tournament in at least 10 years thanks to a 7-4 win in eight innings in a tie-breaker game at Marysville-Getchell Thursday, May 9.

The Wildcats’ reward for making district? An opening round match with the Western Conference’s top team, Meadowdale (13-0, 17-2), at 4 p.m. Tuesday, May 14, at Everett’s Phil Johnson Fields.

Oak Harbor (4-9, 6-15) will play again Tuesday at 6 p.m. against the winner or loser from Glacier Peak (12-8) and Ferndale (13-7) in the double-elimination tournament.

The Wildcats made a habit this year of letting leads slip away, but recovered in the win over Getchell with a big eighth-inning.

Oak Harbor led 3-0 until the Chargers scored three in the bottom of the third inning. The Wildcat took a 4-3 lead into the seventh, but Getchell pushed across a run to force extra innings.

Shawna Steele was the power behind the Wildcat win. After Lexie Findley singled in the first, Steele blasted a home run over the left fielder’s head to give Oak Harbor the early lead.

In the third, Steele’s deep fly ball to center was misplayed and a second error on the same play allowed her to circle the bases.

Four consecutive singles and an error helped Marysville-Getchell tie the game at 3 in the bottom of the third inning.

Steele started the sixth with an infield single, stole second and scored on an error off the bat of Morgan Young.

A triple and single by the Chargers in the seventh nudged the game to extra innings.

In the top of the eighth, Natalie Fiallos got things going with a single and stolen base. Steele was intentionally walked. A pair of passed balls enabled Fiallos to score and put Steele on third. Emily Saar walked and courtesy runner Riley Thompson stole second.

Morgan Young lined a two-run single to finish the scoring.

Getchell didn’t threaten in the seventh as pitcher Saar finished with a complete-game seven-hitter, striking out seven, walking four and giving up two earned runs.

Steele scored four runs to go along with her two hits. Findley also finished with two hits, and Nikki Vogt added single.

Coach Jess Boswell said, “We were focused from the beginning; it started on the bus.”

And that focus earned another bus trip — to district.