Valley Baseball Kicks Off Between Cloudbursts
Despite last week’s rain, Spokane Valley Baseball got off to a remarkably smooth start.
A handful of Giants League games were moved from Wednesday to Friday because of the weather and a few Midget games were affected.
By and large, however, the games went on.
Jim Frazier Trophy won its first two Giants games, including one over Banner Fuel in which winning pitcher Randy Chance had two hits, scored twice and drove in three runs.
Two other teams won their openers, including Valley Electric which beat Broadway Eye Care despite Travis Thompson’s four innings of one-hit eight-strikeout ball.
Midget League
Three teams had 2-0 starts during the first week and four others won their lone reported game.
Action Charter won easily in its opener and held off Friends of Pavilion Park’s late rally to eke out a one-run triumph despite being out-hit 11-4.
Kyle Janke fanned nine batters in three innings against Metro Signs, scored twice and drove in two with a triple against Pavillion Park.
Matt Davis made a key putout to help quell the last-inning rally.
Gibson’s Nursery was another two-game winner, allowing just four runs and seven hits.
Kenny Rowe was 4-for-4, Phil Durgin 3-for-4 and Trevor Baker had two doubles during the wins.
A pair of three-run innings despite just one hit helped Dave’s Grill to one of its two wins, a 6-3 decision over the Spokane Indians. Walks and errors did the trick.
The Indians came back to route Syncor, Shea Murray pitching and going 3-for-4. Sam Brune hit a 3-run homer and, for the week, Ryan Moore went 5-for-5.
Josh Mathews had two hits, Jake Sawyer drove in a pair of runs and Landon Beattie allowed one hit during Valley Kiwanis’s 3-1 win over Pavillion Park.
Lastly, Donnie Marcille pitched three shutout innings, allowing one hit while striking out seven, and hit a three-run homer against Valley Instant Printing.
It proved to be just enough in McDonald’s 11-10 triumph.
Pee Wee League
Five teams went 2-0 and four others won their initial games during the first week of Pee Wee play.
Among the unbeatens was Medicine Shoppe, which made three first-inning runs stand up during a 3-2 victory over Jim Psomas DDS.
Nick Burger struck out eight and allowed one hit during his pitching stint to offset Jeremy Montang’s three innings of no-hit ball. Montang had two hits and Sam Beck doubled in two runs in the fifth.
Medicine Shoppe also won 17-1, five batters with two hits each during the rainy victory.
Another double victor was Spears Used Cars which got two his from three players, including Kyle Kinneberg who pitched scoreless no-hit relief against Inland Imaging.
The team also edged South Pines 2 by a run thanks to a seven-run fourth inning that featured Tommy Belknap’s grand slam home run.
CXT won twice, including 5-4 over Bert Shields Auto, despite Bret Riggin’s six-strikeout effort in two innings of pitching. Riggin also had a pair of hits.
Earlier, Riggin had nine strikeouts and Luke Raynor eight during a 16-1 no-hitter. T.J. Wilson had three hits.
Another double winner was Pizza Hut, which won an abbreviated 8-6 decision over East Farms 2, Keith Realing striking out nine batters in three innings. The team also beat Food Rainbow and Mark Soleta struck out seven.
Homestead Construction’s lone victory, 10-3 over Pure Water, came on 16 strikeout pitching that offset Kevin Ehlert’s two-run homer.
One final note. Pitchers Scott Froelich, Braden Jensen and Kyle Olson struck out the maximum number of batters, 18 in a six-inning game, during Friends of Pavillion Park’s 11-0 one-hit shutout of Henderson Roofing.
Froelich and Matthew Rodriguez each had three hits, the latter driving in four runs.
Two weeks at Painted Hills
Flight-leading scores were close among winners of Painted Hills Ladies Club competition two weeks ago.
Danice Deckard shot 45 in A flight, Betty Snow had 49 in B, Pam Baynes shot 53 in C and Trish Behrens had 51 in D. No-handicap was won by Kari Clark with 52.
Net winners were Lori Gray with 34 in A, Nancy Lochmiller with 33 in B, Wanda McHugo with 36 in C and Elaine Isherwood with 32 in D.
Last week, newcomer Geri Osterud led the way with 49. Jane Dashiell shot 50 in A flight, Tere Von Marbod had 52 in B, Nancy Yohe had 56 in C and Darlene Dolan 61 in D.
Net leaders were Stacey Johnston with 37 in A flight, Lolly Neff with 35 in B, Dorothy Dinius with 38 in C and Sue Lewis with 31 in D.
Liberty Lake 9-Hole play
A pair of golfers made chip-ins that lifted them to Liberty Lake Ladies 9-Hole flight victories two weeks ago.
Arla Beck shot 57 following a chip-in on the second hold to lead A flight. Cathy March chipped in on nine for a B flight 58.
Other winners were Sybill Sturgill in C with 51, Deanna Hauser in D with 65 and Dorothy Newbill, no-handicap, with 66.
Net winners were Adrienne Wilson in A flight with 35, Ruth Jenkins in B with 37, Jean Kelly in C with 39 and Joanne Schultz in D.
Last week a few diehards braved the rain with Elaine Tai at 54 in A flight and Polly Soderquist at 64 in B.
Net winners were Audrey Vanos with 42 and Mary Gehrman with 44.
And during a recent putting competition, Beck led A golfers with 15. Joanne Ruddell led B with 16, made possible by a chip-in.
In C and D, Betty Trembly, Merilyn Lloyd and Elberta Walker all won with 16.
Monthly scoring leaders named
Electic winners, the best scores for the month of May, were determined among Liberty Lake Ladies 18-Hole golf club performers.
In A flight, Patty Aunan, shot a 76. Jean Fulks shot 89 in B, Marcea Seimers had 87 in C and Sandy Koch had 94 in D.
There were ties for net leads in each division. Billie Etter and Jackie Shea had 64 in A.
Marion Jordan and Donna Ogilvie had 65 in B. Ann Meyers and Cathy Whitley had 63 in C. Carol Schultz and Kitty Duval had 66 in D.
Hangman handicap tourney results
Hangman Valley Ladies Club golfers completed their three-week handicap tournament and Pam Anderson won with a net 211.
First flight winners were Freda Beckman with 219 and Marlene Thies with 222.
Second flight went to Fran Nord with 228 and third went to Marie Nelson with 232.
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