Kevin Blocker

1. WSU's Randy Kaleikilo prepares for impact, but makes it safe to second after GU's Matt Brunell misses the force out in the sixth inning Wednesday. Photo by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review< 2. WSU's Mike Kinkade scampers back to first base as GU's Mike Wetmore hauls in the catch. Photo by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review

Scott Morgan, 31, is welcomed back to the Gonzaga University dugout after connecting on his game-winning home run in a doubleheader opener against WSU Wednesday. Photo by Sandra Bancroft-Billings/The Spokesman-Review

Former baseball player Trevor Harelson, left, has a head for the game when it comes to keeping Cheney's soccer team on the winning track. Photo by Sandra Bancroft-Billings/The Spokesman-Review

Kelly

Gonzaga Prep goalkeeper Brain Mullen avoids traffic to make a save against Mead on Monday night. Photo by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review

The East Valley Knights put it to rival West Valley Saturday, 12-10 and 25-10 in a doubleheader played at WV as Frontier League play started. In the other league openers, Colville and Clarkston split, Clarkston 6-4 in the first and the Indians 8-7 in the second. Cheney and Pullman were rained out and will play Monday afternoon. In the Valley battle, which included 43 total hits, the big bopper was EV's Brock Rogers, who finished the day with seven hits.

There are the Lakers and the Celtics, the Cowboys and the Steelers, the Dodgers and the Yankees and the Saxons and the Panthers. Okay, okay, it's not the same thing, but in recent Greater Spokane League baseball history, Ferris and Mead are probably the closest thing in this area to those matchups.

GU's Scott Morgan motions for a baserunner to hold his ground as Lewis-Clark catcher Ryan Wilson chases a loose ball. Photo by Sandra Bancroft-Billings/The Spokesman-Review

Welcome to the Greater Spokane League, first-year Ferris coach Dave Jackson. The Mead Panthers defeated Jackson's Ferris Saxons 10-0 in the GSL softball opener for both teams at Mead on Thursday. In other GSL openers, University defeated Lewis and Clark 4-3, and the North Central-Rogers and Central Valley-Shadle Park games were rained out. The Titans (1-0) got a two-out RBI double from Heather Beach to score Stephani Shelton for the game-winning run in the seventh inning.

Gonzaga University baseball coach Steve Hertz is happy the university will be hosting a baseball tournament. And in light of the fact that the Bulldogs have played just one of their first 17 games at home, he's estatic. "This is such a great community to bring people into and to show them our hospitality for events like this," Hertz said. "And playing at home - gosh, we're road warriors right now."

Last year the Rogers Pirates were the darling underdogs who caught everyone's attention with their best softball season in history. Not anymore. The rest of the Greater Spokane League teams have the Pirates in their crosshairs.

Whitworth will miss senior Annette Sweeney, the NCIC player of the year. Photo by Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review

With his last breath, Captain Ahab subdued Moby Dick with a harpoon. Spokane's Tanner Grant decided the remnants of a golf club would be his best bet fishing on Sunday. Grant caught a 5-pound, 22-inch German brown trout on the dock at Rainbow Cove Resort at Clear Lake west of Spokane using a broken 5-iron that he had found in his mother's back yard a year ago.

The Whitworth women's basketball team has turned the corner behind coach Helen Higgs. Photo by Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review

Hustle and scrappy play wasn't enough for Sally Palmer and the Tekoa-Oakesdale girls, who fell in the title game to Wishkah Valley, 47-34. Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review

Wilbur-Creston's Martha Grant (23) and Jenny Haden put the squeeze on Mossyrock's Alex Dagnon during the fifth-place game. Wilbur-Creston won 56-53. Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review

1. Klickitat's Jill Pimley knocks the ball away from Mossyrock's Melissa Wingerter. Mossyrock won, 56-47. Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review 2. Morton's Sami Schinnel (30) attempts to slice between St. George's Dawn Trowbridge, left, and Buffy Mann. St. George's bowed, 68-65. Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review

1. Wishkah Valley center Sissel Pierce (32) proves too much for Jennifer Stinson, left, and the Davenport Gorillas. Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review 2. The Wishkah Valley bench celebrates an uplifting experience. Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review

Seattle Lutheran's Mandy Dowding, left, attempts to strip the ball from Jamie Arthur of St. George's. St. George's won, 63-31. Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review

When all was said and done after the WIAA/U.S. Bank State B Girls Basketball Tournament drawing at the Ridpath Hotel Sunday, St. George's coach Ross Thomas was one of the happiest people in the hotel's Empire Ballroom. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't like it," Thomas said. If three of the state's top five teams were in the opposite bracket as you were, you'd be smiling to.

Welcome back Susie Jarosch. The Washington State University senior guard returned to the lineup Saturday night against Washington and helped the Cougars score a 72-67 win over the No. 14 Huskies at Bohler Gym.

Someone approached Whitworth Pirates basketball player Kevin Wright on campus this week and congratulated him for being selected to the Northwest Conference firstteam all-league squad. "Thanks a lot," Wright said. "But if I could, I sure would exchange the award for two wins." The Pirates went into last weekend's games against Pacific and Lewis & Clark at the top of the NCIC. Two defeats later, they were in third place. As a result, the Pirates (7-5, 18-9) will travel to Willamette (8-4, 17-10) tonight for a 7:30 tipoff for a first-round conference tournament game.

College women More than once this season, Community Colleges of Spokane women's basketball coach Bruce Johnson has accused his team of being "slow to get off the bus." It's just another cute euphemism meaning a team isn't completely focused on a game. In Spokane's 49-48 win against Columbia Basin Wednesday night at Spokane Falls, a number of players for both teams appeared to have missed the bus altogether.

The Community Colleges of Spokane Sasquatch were no doubt happy with their 80-69 double overtime win against Columbia Basin Wednesday night, but the win was secondary in the minds of those affiliated with the program. CCS freshman Kris Hampton's mother was killed in a car accident near Wallace, Idaho, earlier in the day while she was en route to watch Spokane take on CBC at Spokane Falls. Hampton is from Wallace. Spokane coach Sam Brasch didn't have any details of the accident.