Chris Derrick

All right, Tommy Servine said, just try to do it again. Kevin Smith couldn't, so Ferris will play for the boys State AAA soccer title this afternoon.

State AAA tennis Mead's goal of a boys State AAA tennis title took a nasty twist Friday. A nasty twist that greatly benefited Mercer Island. Mead's Ryan Moran, seeded third in boys singles, withdrew from the tournament after severely turning his ankle in a quarterfinal against Mercer Island's Daniel Corey.

State AAA softball University ran into trouble before the first pitch of the State AAA fastpitch softball tournament Friday. U-Hi ace pitcher Cheryl Andrizzi (23-1) injured her upper right arm - her pitching arm - prior to an opening-day 5-4 loss to Bothell. A teammate taking a full swing on a practice cut hit Andrizzi with the aluminum bat.

Brent Molsberry, left, and Pat Hull give the Saxons senior leadership. Photo by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review

Region IV-AAA baseball Mead's last great chance arose in the sixth inning Saturday when Kennewick coach Dean Hoff summoned a right-hander from the bullpen. Matt Lihosit, replacing left-handed starter Kevin Jamison, went to work on Mead's Grant Reeves, a lefty power hitter.

Perhaps they should be called "Meaderer's Row." Champion Mead ended up hitting .410 against Greater Spokane League baseball opponents. First baseman/pitcher Grant Reeves led the way, with 30 hits in 55 at-bats (.545). Evan Thomas, whose season ended when he was hit in the face by a line drive, hit .560 in six games. Reeves' 46 RBIs shattered the league-record 31 set by Shadle Park's Matt Howard in 1989. Reeves also had eight game-winning RBIs and seven home runs.

GSL baseball Don Ressa met Ferris baseball coach John Thacker near home plate Saturday and asked the million-dollar question: "Lefty or righty?" In layman's terms, University coach Ressa wanted to know whether Ferris ace Eric Sandberg's shoulder was sound enough to pitch. Thacker answered, "Lefty," which meant U-Hi would meet Sandberg, who was 6-0 before Saturday, including a 10-0 one-hitter over U-Hi.

District 8-AAA softball The defenses rested their cases Thursday at Franklin Park. Central Valley and Rogers played almost flawlessly in the field as the District 8-AAA softball tournament opened with a pair of loser-out games.

1. Madesn's speed makes her a big threat on the base paths. Photo by Dan McComb/The Spokesman-Review 2. Madsen 3. Jen Madsen's swing has earned her the role of leadoff batter and produced a .500 average for the undefeated University Titans. Photo by Dan McComb/The Spokesman-Review

High school tennis John Gruber invited a stranger onto the court Saturday to share in his 19th birthday celebration. The stranger, a midmatch insertion as a line judge, did little except overrule one of Gruber's calls against Mead opponent Ryan Moran. Yet Gruber was pleased to have the fellow courtside.

Mead's Tory Gambill joined teammate Brett Kaiser to win the boys doubles championship. Photo by Sandra Bancroft-Billings/The Spokesman-Review

Mead High School's California transplant Ryan Moran has been a big hit in Greater Spokane League tennis circles. Photo by Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review

There was no single reason why Mead's boys beat Lewis and Clark in tennis Friday. There were, however, four singles reasons.

Kaylene Fountain's midseason transfer from Ferris to Lewis and Clark caused a stir among Greater Spokane League softball coaches. The principles involved can't understand the fuss over a family changing residences. There is no fuss, LC activities coordinator Alan Bredy said Wednesday, as long as Fountain's move is legitimate and also not for athletic reasons.

Hillary Dixon used her own methods to perfect her pitching. Photo by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review

The wait has served Cheryl Andrizzi well. Most Greater Spokane League softball teams would have gladly inserted Andrizzi into their starting rotation last year. But Andrizzi was a sophomore at University, which already had a fine pitcher in senior Jamie Fox. When Fox was hurt late in the season, Andrizzi stepped in and helped U-Hi to the State AAA tournament. Still, she considered 1996 a test run.

Several scouts at Seafirst Stadium Tuesday came to watch Central Valley pitcher Erick Eigenhuis. If they had stayed longer than three innings, they would have seen all of Mead's 12 runs and 15 hits.

Jason Miller lost both ends of a Panorama League baseball doubleheader last Saturday. Actually, Jason Millers lost both ends. Pitcher Jason Miller of Northwest Christian started the opener and lost to Curlew 6-4. Pitcher Jason Miller of Curlew started the second game and lost 7-0.

Ferris tennis player Darcy Ruemping has made the switch from doubles to singles. Photo by Kristy MacDonald/The Spokesman-Review

Rob Reid went 3 for 3 in the first game and opened the nightcap with a homer as visiting Pepperdine swept Gonzaga University 7-2, 12-4 Saturday in a West Coast Conference baseball doubleheader at August/ A.R.T. Stadium. Tyler Ferrer of the Waves (22-16, 9-1) had three doubles on the day, including one that drove in two runs during a four-run fifth in the opener. Steve Schenewerk checked the Zags (12-14-1, 2-4) on seven singles and Donnie Murrell's leadoff homer in the third.

Central Valley pitcher Erick Eigenhuis is receiving a lot of interest from major league scouts. Photo by Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review

League softball and baseball. West Valley and Colville advanced to the State AA/A softball tournament last season, and both are brimming with all-leaguers.

Senior Andrea Carnahan started out as a catcher at Colbert Elementary School. Now, for Mead High School, she snags softballs at first base. Photo by Dan McComb/The Spokesman-Review

1. Above, Angela Kallas, 13, swipes the ball from Prosser's Holly Seymour. Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review 2. Left, Keisha Sowers and Sherry Shollenberger proudly display the championship trophy to their fans who made the trip to the Tacoma Dome.