Savannah Watterson of the Grant County Wildfire team hits the ball during last weekend's Little League State Softball Tournament in Medford.

The Grant County Wildfire earned third place, competing at the July 20-24 Oregon State Little League Softball 8-9-10 Tournament in Medford.

Wildfire short stop Savannah Watterson said she hopes her team will be just as good or better next year. Her favorite memory was seeing her team improve.

“We went from earning third in districts last year to winning districts and getting third in state this year,” she said.

The team had three wins and two losses at the tournament, held at U.S. Cellular Community Park’s AstroTurf field.

Head coach Zach Williams said it was a good season, and the team increased their knowledge of the game at a quick pace.

“They do little things just right, knowing secondary options on a play,” he said. “They’re years beyond their age with their softball IQ. They’re learning the game so much faster than I’ve experienced in the past.”

On Thursday, Drewsey Williams pitched a 9-0 game against Del Norte of Crescent City, California.

“The girls were patient at the plate,” coach Williams said, adding they threw good pitches and put the ball in play.

Grant County had tougher competition, facing Willow Creek of Portland on Friday. Coach Williams said Willow Creek’s pitcher threw hard and located her pitches well. Willow Creek went on to win the title.

Saturday brought a turnaround for the Wildfire girls with two wins. They claimed a 15-0 victory over South Salem in the morning and a 12-5 win over Crook County in the evening.

Drewsey pitched the first inning against South Salem with Addy Northway relieving for the remainder of the four-inning win.

Coach Williams said his team had success with quite a few base hits, swinging at good pitches.

Drewsey pitched all six innings for the win over Crook County.

“They were selective (in hitting) and played a lot better defense,” the coach said.

Sunday’s game was a nail-biter, Klamath County taking an 8-7 win to oust Grant County from the tournament.

“Addy threw the whole game, and she did a really good job,” Williams said. “The girls battled hard on offense and put the ball in play hard a lot. In the end, we just came up short.”

Williams said the Wildfire girls who now range in age from 9-11, played more than 40 games this season.

“The girls worked hard for months and months in the heat,” Williams said. “They came to practice every night. That’s why I love coaching. The improvement I saw from March through July was unbelievable.”

First baseman and catcher Halle Parsons said she had a fun summer of softball.

“We had a really good time working hard and coming together as a family,” she said. “I like that we worked together really well.”

Right fielder Reece Jacobs said she didn’t know the team members well at first and enjoyed making friendships.

Coach Williams said he appreciated the contributions of his assistants, Levi Watterson, Ray Wenger and Marissa Williams.

He said the time they dedicated to the team was valuable, as well as the commitment from parents and the contributions of the community who helped them raise more than $4,000 to go to the state tournament.

“To the volunteers and fans and community that donated, we just can’t say thank you enough,” Williams said.