GSL teams split; Trudeau fires no-hitter for Shadle

RICHLAND – In playoff softball, one clutch hit can make all the difference – because that may be the only chance you get.

Southridge got the clutch hit and Mead did not, putting the Suns into the semifinals of the Eastern Regional with a 2-1 win over the Panthers on Friday night.

Southridge (18-6) will play GSL No. 1 University, which beat Pasco 7-2, at 10 a.m. today at Columbia Playfields. At the same time and place, Shadle Park (21-2), which blanked Walla Walla 4-0 on Stephanie Trudeau’s no-hit pitching, plays Big Nine No. 1 Richland (24-0), a 5-0 winner over Mt. Spokane.

Mead’s Kim Watson and Southridge’s Molly Chafe, both of whom finished the regular season with earned run averages at or under 0.60, threw up zeroes through the first five innings.

In the sixth, the visiting Panthers (19-4), the GSL’s No. 3 seed, struck first.

Megan Thigpen, batting out of the ninth spot, led off with a single and stole second base. Megan Bertolero sacrificed Thigpen to third, and sophomore shortstop Chantal Hughes-Garder chopped one up the middle with one out. Southridge shortstop Kirstie Kennell froze for a second as Thigpen raced home, and Hughes-Gardner was safe at first.

Hughes-Gardner stole second and advanced to third, but was left stranded there.

Southridge’s Jessica Kahl led off the bottom of the sixth by reaching on an infield error, and after moving to second on a sacrifice, Nicole vanHeel provided the game’s big hit.

VanHeel hammered a triple over Bertolero’s head in right field to tie the game. After a walk, Suns catcher Lacey Rosenbaum popped out to Panthers freshman second baseman Katie Kine, who made a nice catch over her shoulder. Her throw home was up the third-base line and vanHeel was safe with the winning run.

“I’d like to say (I thought one was enough),” Mead coach John Barrington said. “But you never know. Against Kim today, I felt pretty good about it, especially since they hadn’t put the ball in play that much.”

Watson allowed only three hits while walking two and striking out 10.

Mead still had a chance in the top of the seventh after Megan Foster singled and Kati Bronson reached on an error with nobody out. After a sacrifice moved the runners to second and third, Chafe struck out the next two Panthers, two of the senior’s 11 punch-outs.

“We’ve got to swing the bats better (today),” Barrington said. “That’s a good pitcher; she threw really well. Kim threw another great playoff game, it’s bad that we wasted it.”

Mead plays Pasco (11-14) at noon, needing to win twice to return to the state tournament.

U-Hi bounced back from an early wake-up call to beat Pasco. The Bulldogs, No. 4 out of the Big Nine, led the Titans 2-1 after 31/2 innings. U-Hi rallied with two in the bottom of the fourth and then added four in the bottom of the fifth on six hits to pull away.

Mandy Mikelson, Ashley Patterson and Lexi Oberchain, the bottom of the Titans’ lineup, bailed out U-Hi with six hits and four RBIs between them.

“We were really tight for some unknown reason,” U-Hi coach Jon Schuh said. “You wouldn’t think so with some of the games we had in districts.”

Trudeau (11-0), the senior half of Shadle’s 1-2 pitching punch, allowed only one walk while striking out 10. Shadle benefited from a four-run third, all scoring on Wa-Hi errors.

Trudeau had a five-inning no-hitter and a five-inning perfect game earlier, but this was her first seven-inning no-hitter this season. Only two runners reached base for Wa-Hi (17-8).

Richland stayed undefeated by shutting out Mt. Spokane as Holly Morris homered for the Bombers. The Wildcats (17-8) will play Wa-Hi in a loser-out game at noon.