Gsl Sweeps Big Nine Opponents

High school softball

Central Valley’s softball team may have a guardian angel in its dugout.

And as far as the rest of the Greater Spokane League teams are concerned, their performances were divine against the Big Nine.

The Bears defeated Walla Walla 5-4 in the first round of the Region IV tournament at Franklin Park on Friday night.

From there, the GSL made it a clean sweep of the Big Nine as North Central beat Richland 4-1, Mead received no-hit pitching from Holly Vanwert to beat Kamiakin 5-0 and University dumped Pasco 3-0.

CV and NC play today at 10 a.m. on Bud Adams Field at Franklin while Mead will play University at 10 a.m. on Field 5. The winners advance to state.

At 4 p.m., the 10 a.m. winners will play on Bud Adams. The GSL’s Friday sweep means at least two of three state berths will go to the GSL.

For CV (13-7), the Bears trailed 4-1 in the bottom of the sixth before Megan O’Dea, Kristi Schmitt, Jessica Sackman and Amanda Del Mese came up with clutch hits and runs for the lead.

In the top of the seventh, the Blue Devils had a runner at first with two outs when CV’s Tori Mills struck out Wa-Hi’s Jen Avery.

Avery swung for the third strike on a pitch that hit the ground before it reached catcher Crystal Lee, keeping the ball alive.

Instead of throwing Avery out, Lee and the rest of the Bears celebrated what they thought was the game’s end as Avery scooted to first.

“I just stood there thinking, ‘this is going to come back and haunt us,”’ CV coach Kenny Haynes said.

When CV went back to the field, Mills immediately walked Dawn Bamford to load the bases before Brooke Avery stepped to the plate. She homered against Mills the previous inning.

This time, Avery delivered a shot to left field. However, Schmitt saved the day with a running catch to end the game.

“All I can say is, we’re hot,” Haynes said.

CV has won 10 of its last 14 games.

In NC’s (13-6) win, Janessa Karstens handcuffed the Bombers and held them to three hits.

Richland was the Big Nine’s top seed to regionals; NC was the GSL’s last.

The Indians scored first in the top of the second when Shanelle Test singled up the middle, was sacrificed to second, moved to third on a fielder’s choice and then scored on a throwing error by Richland’s third baseman.

NC’s Andrea Abney eventually scored in the inning for a 2-0 Indians lead.

In the top of the fourth, NC’s Tara Young put the game away when she doubled to right-center to score Julie Cook and Laura Cook.

For Mead (15-4), the Panthers rode the right arm of Vanwert, who struck out six in her no-hitter.

Offensively, the Panthers rode the bat of Holly Turner. She hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth to put the game away. It was her fifth homer this season.

Turner also doubled in Andrea Carnahan in the bottom of the first.

And for the Titans (15-4), sophomore Cheryl Andrezzi threw a three-hitter to shut out Pasco.

U-Hi’s Sally Jamison had three hits and Heather Beach added two. Also for the Titans, Toshua Balloua and Devon Bakken each added triples.

, DataTimes