Titan players have rewarding summer season

University baseball could scarely have had a more gratifying summer.

Three teams involving Titan athletes finished among the top four in three levels of American Legion state competition, capped Wednesday by a state championship in the 16U Class A tournament in Mount Vernon.

The youngest Titans won five of six games, reversing their only loss with a 6-5 win over North Thurston on Wednesday for the title.

Tournament MVP Ian Craig-Scott hit a two-run double in the seventh inning and finished off the victory with his second inning of scoreless relief in bringing home the title.

“I was told it had been since 1967 that any league team had won a championship,” said coach Josh Nichols. “It’s really exciting, especially when it’s not been done here in 40 years and knowing we’ve gone the distance and won the whole thing.”

Earlier in the week University’s AA Legion team, which hosted the state tournament, finished 3-2 in reaching the semifinals of the 16-team tournament. And three members of last spring’s state qualifying team, two of them returning to U-Hi, were part of the Bandits AAA state semifinalist.

Three years ago University had a second-place finish in the state tournament

This year’s version did it one better, defeating Burlington 6-3, losing to North Thurston 4-1, then winning four straight, including three by 6-5 scores, over Yakima, host Mount Vernon and the title win. In the semifinals, U-Hi beat top three finisher Central Valley 4-0.

“It was a long way to travel to play a game between teams five minutes apart,” said Nichols, himself a 1999 CV graduate.

Nichols lauded the efforts of pitchers Landon Elliott, Cody Canady, Justin Liu and Kramer Lavoie as well as the performance of Craig-Scott. And he said the championship was a team deal.

“Someone played well each game,” he said. “No one guy carried us.”

Members of athe 33-8-1 team are: Destry Groom, Craig-Scott, Tyler Hickman, Elliott, Canaday, John Schmedding, Liu, Lavoie, Justin Groom, Adam Jessup, Nick Kim, Josh Berdar, Adam Roskamp, Drew Daly, Jamie Higley, Garrett Simpson, Anthony Kuipers and Krys Haas. Kenny VanSickle is assistant coach.

“All the coaches were excited for the kids,” said Nichols. “They know how big a deal this is. It doesn’t happen that much.”

•At the AA tournament, University beat Mount Rainier 17-7, Ferndale 13-7 and Centralia 16-15. Losses were to state champion Richland twice, 15-6 and 11-1 to finish the year 37-5.

Jacob Olsufka, Craig Keeton and Travis Clark each had eight hits during the tourney. Jacob Schnibbe, Cory Benton and Michael Holmes each had seven.

Both Central Valley and Freeman were 1-2 at the tourney.

•At the AAA tournament in Yakima, Titans Danny Jordan and Billy Moon factored in the Bandits’ 3-2 record. Jordan had 10 hits, eight during the last two games. He pitched an 8-3 victory over the Twin City Titans to put the team into the semis. Moon hit safely in all five games, including two three-hit efforts in the final two contests.

The Bandits also beat Vancouver Cardinals 8-0 and Olympia Budd Bay 11-4. Both losses were to Yakima Pepsi Pak, 7-5 and 9-4.

Locals win nationals

Local athletes were well-represented on teams that placed high in the 18U ASA B West National softball tournament, including the champion Northwest Wildfire.

The Wildfire won eight straight games, following a tourney opening loss in the Spokane-hosted tourney, with Freeman pitcher Casey Olson winning three times, including the championship game. University’s Michelle Wells had three hits, including a double and home run, and drove in three runs in the 12-4 title victory.

Coeur d’Alene Crush finished fourth, Eagle Sportswear and Spokane Crash placed in the top 10 of the tournament. Most of U-Hi’s varsity was represented on one or other of the teams and Central Valley players also dotted several rosters including the Spokane Crash which featured four players from CV and three from U-Hi.

Valley Baseball champs

Jim Frazier Pro and Trophy Shop and Spokane Athletic Supply completed perfect seasons to win their respective Spokane Valley Baseball League championships.

Jim Frazier, from Pasadena Park Elementary, finished 14-0 and was scarcely challenged in the Midget League with an 11-1 victory over Trentwood, and SAS, from Otis Orchards, also compiled a 14-0 record with its 10-5 Pee Wee League triumph over Spokane County Deputy Sheriff’s Association (Summit).

•In the Midget finale, Jim Frazier Trophy scored in all but one inning in capturing the tournament title. The champs jumped to a 3-0 lead after an inning and were ahead 9-0 through the fourth.

Brady Bergman tripled in a run and scored on Tyler Stavnes‘ base hit in the first-inning to jump start the win. With two outs in the second, leadoff batter Hunter Wells had the first of his three singles during the game, followed by base hits from Austin Luhn and Carson Driskill to make it 5-0.

Chris Myers had his second hit and scored in the third, Bergman had a hit, RBI and scored during Jim Frazier’s three-run fourth.

Wells and Driscoll pitched the victory, allowing but two hits and striking out 11.

Three Trentwood pitchers combined to fan 14 Pasadena batters but allowed a dozen hits.

Team members on the championship team are Bergman, Driskill, Luhn, Myers, Stavnes, Wells, Brady Bollum, Brandon Borg, Riley House, Jonathyn Jannot, Garret Kenney, Corey Spalding and Trevor Cooper.

•Pee Wee champion Spokane Athletic Supply set the tone from the outset, jumping to a 3-0 lead after an inning. A couple of errors were followed by a base hit by Colin Gessler and double by Edmond Chen.

It was 5-0 before the County Sheriff’s parlayed walks and a base hit by Isaiah Crane into a three-run third inning. But it was as close as the team would get. SAS scored twice each in the fourth and fifth innings for a 9-3 lead in capping its unbeaten season.

Tyler Wiggin and Jackson Axtell divided the other four of Otis’s six hits. Gessler and Axtell pitched the victory, allowing two hits and striking out 15.

Spokane Athletic Supply team members are Gessler, Chen, Wiggin, Axtell, Ethan Barr, Micah Cunningham, Bryce Logerwell, Kieran Natarajan, Victor Xie, Sam Scott, Logan Strawn, Jacob Bellagio and Tyree Van Voorhis.

Monthly Liberty Cup

Debbie West, who had overall low net of 63, was the August Liberty Cup winner among Liberty Lake Women’s 18 Hole Golf Club members.

During concurrent putting competition, Sandy Mooney and Billie Etter tied with fewest in A flight, each taking 28.

B flight winner was Carol Schultz, also at 28, two fewer than Jean Hatcher. Marie Nelson won C flight with 32, and runner-up Dorothy Womach had 35. In D flight, Alice Shattuck‘s 32 putts edged Idell Jenicek by one.

The week before was a member and guest outing with 50 participants.

Low gross winners were Sandy Mooney and her guest, Nancy Walker, and Kathy Brown and her guest, Char Kristen.

Low net winners were Maggie Steffy and guest Marilyn McCanna, and Honey Conlon and guest Karen Hunt.

Nine Hole group competes

Two weeks of Liberty Lake Ladies Nine Hole Golf action produced different sets of winners.

Linda Strauss with low gross 48 and Cheryl Baumker with 54 were first flight low gross winners. Arla Beck netted 37 and Linda Sahnow 35.

In second flight Nellie Auckerman shot 60, and Carol Maycock had 62. Net winners were Kathy Camyn with 38 and Pat Thompson with 41.

Third flight was won twice by Darlene Reilly, with low gross scores of 63 and 62. Net winners were Shirley Byus with 39 and a three-way tie among Bette Devine, Judy Booth and Polly Soderquist with 35s.

Soderquist also had a chip-in, as did Emma Long and Mary Gehrman.

Person leads Painted Hills

Dixie Person‘s game belied her status as a C flight golfer during most recent Painted Hills Ladies League golf.

Person shot 49, the day’s lowest score for the week.

Her effort was two strokes lower than A flight winner Kathy Perry, who topped her competition at 51. Pat Angove shot 53 in B flight, and Cathy Esmay won D flight with 61. No-handicap golfer Lorraine Higuchi shot 60.

Net winners were Inge Klep and June Hathaway with 36 in B flight, Ellen Spalding with 33 in C and Eleanore Badinger with 37 in D.

Ina Grunwald, Angove and Elaine Lukes all had chip-ins.