Quick hits
Best head for Pasco
With spring break out of the way and the postseason just a month out, many, but not all, of the best track athletes in the Northwest converge on Pasco Saturday for the 45th Pasco Invitational.
It’s a great chance for athletes with state medal aspirations to test themselves and a good chance for some of the better small-school athletes to face opponents from larger schools. That includes Pullman, which sent six individuals to Arcadia last week and came back with two school records. Sophomore Cory Druffel set a school record in the 1,600 – she ran a mile that converted to 5 minutes, 16.25 seconds – and Lindsay Myron, who soared a state-best 37 feet, 4 inches in the triple jump.
Baseball at midpoint
GSL baseball is halfway done. How have the favorites fared and who are the surprises?
Going into to the first of a home-and-home set today between West Valley (6-1), co-leader with Ferris, and University (7-2), teams figured to be in the top three are there, and two others predicted in the top five are hovering close by.
The biggest surprises so far have been Mead (5-2 in fourth) and Clarkston (5-4 and tied for sixth).
“Coming in we knew we had some talent, but we also had a lot of unproven guys,” Mead coach Jason Reich said. “I’m pleased with our start, although we’re disappointed in our two losses (by two and one runs).”
Truly perfect
When Shadle Park High pitcher Sam Skillingstad tosses a perfect game, it’s news, though the sophomore has done it before.
But her perfect game Tuesday, in a game shortened to five innings because of the mercy rule, included a rare occurrence: She struck out all 15 Gonzaga Prep hitters she faced.
“It was the best outing of her Highlander career thus far,” wrote Shadle coach George Lynn in an e-mail, “not because of the (strikeouts) but how precise (she was) and the minimal pitch count.”
Gonzaga Prep was averaging 71/2 runs a game going into the contest.
Around the leagues
Great Northern: For Pullman to maintain its superiority on the boys soccer field this spring, the Greyhounds (7-0, 5-0) will have to survive a difficult week. Today, Pullman hosts second-place Riverside (5-1, 4-1) and plays at third-place Deer Park (4-4, 4-2) on Tuesday. … Medical Lake baseball had an impressive win Tuesday, shutting out top-ranked Pullman. That handed the Greyhounds their first loss and vaulted the Cardinals (6-1, 6-1) into first place.
Northeast A: Newport’s baseball team remained undefeated over the weekend. The Grizzlies (9-0, 4-0) swept Freeman (1-5, 0-4) in a doubleheader split up between Saturday and Monday by bad weather Saturday. Colfax (4-2, 4-0) kept pace in league play, sweeping a doubleheader with Kettle Falls (2-4, 0-4) Monday. … In softball, Freeman (5-3, 2-0) shut out Newport (0-4, 0-2) in a pair of games to open up an early league lead. Colfax (2-4, 1-1) and Kettle Falls (1-6, 1-1) split a doubleheader Monday. … The yearly Freeman Invitational track meet takes place Saturday, with many area small schools making their way to Central Valley High.
Bi-County: Almira/Coulee-Hartline went 3-2 during five games against the first-, third- and fourth-place teams in the Bi-Co baseball standings last week. The Warriors (5-2, 5-2) swept Odessa, won a single game against Liberty and lost a pair of close games to first-place Lind-Ritzville (9-1, 6-0).
Panorama: The big baseball doubleheader this weekend pits the co-champions from last year, as Republic (7-3, 5-3) plays at Northport (11-1, 10-0) on Saturday. Northport hasn’t allowed a run in its last four games. … On the softball field, Springdale is emerging as a contender, as the Chargers (7-9 last year, 6-2 this season) split doubleheaders with Selkirk and Inchelium, two of the three co-champions last year. It’s also the only loss for both teams.
Whitman County: The top two baseball teams in the WCL will square off in a three-game weekend series. Today, first-place Colton (4-0) will host second-place Asotin (3-1) at 4 p.m., and Asotin will host a doubleheader on Saturday at 11 a.m. In other three-game sets, which will run Saturday and Tuesday, Tekoa-Oakesdale/Rosalia (2-2) will face Garfield-Palouse (1-1), and LaCrosse-Washtucna (0-2) will take on St. John-Endicott in a battle to climb out of the league’s cellar. … In softball, Colton (2-0) has the early lead in the standings, but Asotin (2-1) and Gar-Pal (1-1) are both within one game of the Wildcats.