Mead Win Earns First In Softball

Mead softball coach Bridget Monahan said the Panthers were nervous going into Thursday’s contest against University. Titans coach Ken VanSickle said his team was the loosest it had been all season before a game.

One certainly wouldn’t have known that, however, after watching the Panthers’ 4-3 win. The victory gave Mead (6-0) sole possession of first place in the Greater Spokane League.

Mead got all its runs in the second inning with the help of critical errors by U-Hi (5-1).

“You can’t commit errors against a team like Mead because they’ll make you pay,” VanSickle said.

In the second, Mead’s Kristin Fuller reached second base on an errant throw by U-Hi’s Megan Mertens before advancing to third on Ambre Miller’s sacrifice bunt.

Shata Stucky followed with an infield hit to score Fuller, then she advanced to second on a wild pitch by Jamie Fox. Stucky moved to third when Jen Rand grounded out.

Amber Lunzer doubled to score Stucky, and Katrina Morton followed and ripped a shot to left field to score Lunzer. But on Morton’s hit, the ball went through the legs of Sally Jamison and rolled to the fence to allow Morton to score.

“Sally got down to make the play, but it just took a bad hop and got through her legs,” VanSickle said.

After the inning, Monahan stressed to her team the importance of taking one inning at a time.

“Big innings early in a game are sometimes a little scary because they can put you in a lull for the rest of the game,” Monahan said.

And that lull seemed to hit Mead for the better part of the last three innings.

Mead managed to overcome three late errors of its own in the fifth and sixth innings that helped U-Hi cut the deficit to 4-3.

U-Hi threatened again in the seventh with runners at the corners before Heather Beach grounded out to end the game.

In other GSL games, at Shadle, the Highlanders’ Mary Jones threw a no-hitter against Lewis and Clark in a 4-1 win. The victory over the Tigers (0-6) gave the Highlanders (1-5) their first win since April of last year.

At Gonzaga Prep, the Bullpups beat Rogers 6-4 when Julie Weiskopf drove in Katie Shrope for the winning run in the bottom of the sixth. For G-Prep (5-2), Shrope scattered seven hits for her fourth win of the season. Rogers is 2-4.

And at Ferris (1-5), Central Valley’s (4-3) Kristi Schmitt got the game-winning run in the second inning in a 3-1 win.

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G-Prep stayed atop the standings with a 13-5 win over visiting Rogers (2-4). The Bullpups (6-1) scored eight and five runs in the second and third innings, respectively.

Prep’s Charlie Kinney struck out five and scattered six hits.

In other contests, Shadle beat LC 14-2; U-Hi defeated Mead 8-4; and Ferris beat CV 8-4.

At Seafirst Stadium, for Shadle (5-1), Joe Baune had three hits, two of which were doubles, and scored three times against the Tigers (0-6).

At U-Hi (4-2), the Titans’ Aaron Fryer got a three-run double in the fourth and drove in four runs in the win against Mead (4-2).

And at Ferris (4-2), in the second, the Saxons’ Chris Schuchart had a bases-loaded single to score two runs and Justin McKitterick drove in two more in the same inning to send Ferris to the win.

For the Bears (3-4), Corby Schuh and Brady Nelson each homered.

, DataTimes