Midseason Shuffle As Best Join Best In Valley Girls Softball
Spokane Valley Girls Softball season has reached its midpoint with the requisite jockeying of teams into new divisions.
Teams with the best records are moved against each other in the 14-Under through 10-Under leagues.
Dr. Benage, Wise Improvements and Burger King take their 4-0 records into the National Division of the 14-U League.
Seven teams have one or fewer losses in the 12-Under National. Unbeatens are McDonalds, Action Medical and Minuteman Press.
In the 10-Under National, NW Kenpo Karate is a perfect 5-0, while Spokane Teacher’s Credit Union and Hager Enterprises were unbeaten after four games.
Additionally, the seven-team 16-Under League continues its season play. Valley Blue entered the second half of the season at 5-0.
Among the mid-season highlights was the batting of Walt’s Mailing’s Megan Pritzl in the 16-U League.
She was 5-for-6 with six runs batted in during two games. Included were two doubles and a triple.
Teammates Melissa Scherr and Tiffany Schmidt combined on a one-hit, 10-strikeout victory in another game. In that game Megan Schmaltz went 3-for-4 with a triple and five RBIs. She also turned in an unassisted double play.
In the 12-U League, Arby’s got a six-RBI game from Melissa Julian, who did not give up a run in two innings of relief pitching.
The team also rallied from seven runs behind to beat Ponti Veterinary.
Adept Escrow’s Ashley Maier had six strikeouts in two innings of pitching. Cristina Winkler scored twice and drove in four runs during the win over Liberty Enterprises.
In two of NW Kenpo Karate’s wins in the 10-U League, Jackie Lenz went 8-for-9, including a double and triple, and scored eight times.
She teamed with Michelle O’Riley in one game to strike out 15 batters in six innings.
In another game, Lindsey Stark went 5-for-5 and scored each time, and Erika Willy was 3-for-4 with a home run.
Dairy Queen lost 9-7 to Hager Enterprises in a thriller. Holly Frank had two triples and fanned five in the losing cause. The team’s other pitcher, Layne Brower had nine strikeouts during a win over Awardmasters.
Erin Macklin and Jenni Lloyd helped provide Dairy Queen’s offense.
Spokane Valley Kiwanis got grand slam home runs from Tonya Schnibbe and Mandy Mikelson in a win over Stranberg Electric. Jessica Gauche struck out eight batters in three innings.
TCI player Mandy Daniels had a 6-for-7 game.
Tournament recap
Three Spokane American Legion AAA teams compiled winning records during last weekend’s Fourth of July Senior baseball tournament.
Montanans, however, prevailed over Idahoans to claim the top four places. Great Falls Stallions beat Coeur d’Alene Lumbermen for the championship. Billings Royals defeated Post Falls Cardinals for third place.
All three Spokane teams compiled 3-2 records. But the trio finished one win apiece away from the title game.
The Valley Cannons tied with eventual third-place Billings, Mont., and the Spokane Blue Devils behind the Lumbermen in their division.
The Cannons were denied a title berth when they lost 9-8 to Coeur d’Alene in their final game of the round-robin tournament. The team had won its initial three games of the tourney, including 8-4 over the Blue Devils.
The Browne Mountain Bandits missed a title spot when they lost 7-6 to eventual champion Great Falls in their second tourney game.
Cannon Bill Tincup had a pair of three-hit games during his team’s 3-0 tourney start and had eight hits for the tournament. Jeremy Isherwood added seven hits.
The Bandits got solid pitching from Sean Ruscio, who hurled a 3-0 shutout victory over El Segundo, Calif. The team was led in hitting by Aaron Fryer.
Two other Spokane entrants, the Royals and North Stars, went 2-3 and 1-4 respectively in the tournament.
Torrid SAS places second
Spokane Athletic Supply finished second in the AA portion of the Fourth of July tournament.
The Central Valley High team lost 10-6 in the title game to Enumclaw, Wash.
Since losing its first five league games and seven of its first eight, SAS has been on a tear.
In addition to winning its tournament division, SAS has won six straight league games to even its mark at 7-7 in the South Division.
Lilac City Gymnastics diversifies
Lilac City Gymnastics Centers have added cheerleading and cheer-acrobatics classes in addition to offering gymnastics instruction.
The program is open to aspiring junior high, high school and collegiate cheerleaders.
Former competitive gymnast and University of Idaho cheerleader Michelle Yates will instruct.
Call 927-3366 or 325-4274 for information.
, DataTimes