Eagles hot heading into today’s championship

West Valley has unleashed the new “Murderer’s Row,” some 80 years after the New York Yankees were awarded the nom de guerre for their relentless home run hitting lineup.

The Eagles baseball team on Wednesday slugged six homers in a single five-inning baseball game to qualify for the State 2A tournament with a 13-2 pasting of Pullman in the district semifinals.

They play Clarkston on Washington State’s Bailey-Brayton Field in Pullman for the championship at 4 p.m. today.

Those six homers accounted for 12 of the runs and coach Don O’Neal estimates they’ve hit a total of 21 so far this season.

“We went off (on Wednesday),” said O’Neal.

Andy Vennum, bound to play for Montana State-Billings, hit two homers and drove in five runs. Vennum pitched the win, striking out nine. O’Neal said he batted a mind-boggling .633 for the season with six home runs this season.

“He’s just been on fire all year,” said WV’s coach. “His stats, if I hadn’t put them in myself, I wouldn’t believe them.”

His only pitching loss came when the Eagles allowed eight unearned runs.

“I’ve seen people throw harder, but he has movement and throws three pitches for strikes,” said O’Neal. “The deeper into a game the more movement he has on the ball.”

Tom Peterson, who played first base, outfield, shortstop and pitched according to the coach, also hit two homers against Pullman and drove in four runs.

“He doesn’t hit the ball as far (as others) because he hits it so square,” said O’Neal. “But he hits it harder than any high school kid I’ve seen.”

Brothers Bryan and Mitch Peterson, Tom’s cousins, had the other home runs and Dave Hauschild was 3-for-3. Jeremy Fernandez is another who has contributed heavily to WV’s home run total this year.

The Eagles are 16-4. Their only losses, said O’Neal, have been when errors by a young infield come in bunches. But with the firepower they have, and with Vennum on the mound, he said, this can be the best team WV has had since he’s been coach.

State 2A baseball tournament is next Saturday in Yakima.

•University and Central Valley are among four teams at Gonzaga Prep today for the conclusion of District 8 baseball. Two teams will continue on with the champion advancing to state.

The two district rivals played Friday for a spot in the finals. CV advanced with 10-1 win over Gonzaga Prep by banging out 15 hits. Geoff Davis was 3-for-4 with a home run in the Bears’ four-run sixth inning, and Blake Bledsoe was 3-for-4 with three runs batted. Corey Mack hit two doubles. Pitcher Rusty Shellhorn threw a two-hitter and struck out 13.

•Freeman qualified for state with a pair of 3-0 wins during bi-district playoffs on Tuesday. The Scotties play fellow Northeast A League team for the championship today at 4 p.m., in Wenatchee. Tyler Ford pitched a three-hitter over Chelan in the opener and Abe Mega threw a no-hitter in game two, backed by Beau Barnes‘ two full-extension diving catches, and hit a two-run double in the first inning. Chris Miller was 3-for-3 in the first game.

Bears at their best

Central Valley’s softball team, which tied for third in the Greater Spokane League and beat University in a playoff for the second seed in district, is having one of its best seasons.

The Bears and third-seeded Titans played Friday for a spot in Tuesday’s District 8 finals. Both have qualified for regional next week at Franklin Park, U-Hi with Thursday’s 11-1 five-inning victory over Lewis and Clark.

“This is a great program to be part of,” said CV coach Jeff VanHorne last week. “It’s a great coaching staff. The team g.p.a. is 3.5. These are very bright girls who have stayed dedicated and true to the program. Up and down the lineup we don’t have any weaknesses.”

Junior Alexa Morales was second in the GSL with a .538 batting average, finished one hit behind Titans co-leader Riki Schiermeister‘s 36, tied teammate McKenzie Gummersall for the triples lead with six and drove in a league high 37 runs. Gummersall hit .480, scored 21 runs and drove in 21 batting ninth.

Pitcher Alyssa Erickson, 12-4 with a 2.05 earned run average, hit .500. Chrystal Holt hit .471 and scored 27 runs, Gen Aman hit .456 with a team high 28 runs. Becky White hit .455. All had 50 or more at bats. In 36 attempts, Jamie Belknap batted .472 and scored 18 times.

VanHorne said the success has been collaborative. Former Titan star Tammy Bradstreet is CV’s pitching and catching coach. Bob Austin works with the outfielders.

“The other coaches have been doing this longer than me and have a better knowledge base,” he said. “My theory is to get the best out of them, believe in them and keep motivating them. In turn they motivate each other.”

U-Hi’s 1-0 loss to the Bears, which forced them into Thursday’s single-elimination district game for the first time, was not all-bad, said coach Jon Schuh.

“For both teams, what we went through Tuesday was a benefit,” he said. “We’re going to see games like that the rest of the way.”

Against LC, Titans first three batters, Schiermeister, Alyssa Hawley and Ali Warren were 6-for-10, scored six runs and drove in eight. Warren hit .516 and Schiermester .507 for the year. Warren tied for the lead with 10 doubles and drove in 34 runs. Schiermeister was second in stolen bases with 23 and scored 30. Hawley hit .420.

•West Valley opens the Great Northern League playoffs at home in a loser-out game against Cheney today at noon. Tourney continues Tuesday. Freeman is playing in the NEA tournament beginning at 11 a.m. today at University for seeding to the Bi-District tournament

Women’s golf results

Painted Hills – A flight golfer Jeanne Allemand was on fire with low-gross 40 during Monday’s Ladies 9-Hole Club play. Gloria Knauss in B and Judee Fowler in C each shot 52. Wilma Capaul had 58 in D flight. No-handicap golfer Linda Church shot 47. Net winners were Kathy Perry in A with 36, Dolores Hanson in B with 35, Virginia Lemmer in C with 28 and Lynn Vierling in D with 33. Vierling had a chip-in on No. 3.

Liberty Lake 9 Hole – During weekly medal play, Arla Beck had low gross of the field with a 53 in first flight. Nellie Auckerman and Nancy Lampe netted 41. Darlene Reilly and Ann Archibald shot 59s in second flight. Bette Devine netted 35. Emma Long shot 64 in third flight and Shirley Byus netted 44. Nancy Gaudette won no-handicap and Jo Ann Ruddell had a chip-in on the fifth hole.

Liberty Lake 18 Hole – May leg of the Liberty Cup ended with a tie. Rose Jones and GiSue Peters each had a net 73. Connie Hatfield had fewest putts during concurrent competition with 29.