Nitro Blasts Way To 14-U Regional Title

A stunning performance lifted the Nitro, a 14-U girls fastpitch softball team, to Spokane’s first ASA Regional Tournament championship.

The north Spokane team outscored its opposition 71-10 and won six straight games during the tournament at Franklin Park last weekend.

It has sent team members scrambling to raise the $4,000 it will take to travel to and compete in the ASA Western Area Championships Aug. 6-10 in Evanston, Wyo.

The Nitro beat the Rage from Portland 8-1, the Heat from Longview, Wash., 18-1, the Beaverton, Ore., Babes 23-1, and the Bandits from Newport, Ore., 11-2, and twice defeated the Diamondbacks from Hillsboro, Ore., 6-3 and 6-2.

As a team, the Nitro hit .414.

“We crushed the ball extremely well. It was just astounding,” said Nitro coach Jim Stockman.

“To come in and face this quality and win was overwhelming.”

In its fourth year, the Nitro played in the Spokane Fastpitch Association 16-Under League and compiled an 8-3-1 season record.

“We had no idea what to expect at the first of the year,” said Stockman. “If we could get them to play at that level and not be intimidated by older girls, we could do well at our own level.”

Overall, the team has compiled a 40-11-2 record, winning the Cougar Invitational Tournament in Spokane, Woody’s Invitational in Colville, Wash., the District 7 Umpires Invitational 16-U tourney in Kelso, Wash., and the Spokane Metro Qualifier.

The Nitro also placed second in the Issaquah Round Robin, the Eastern Washington Thunder in Spokane and the Spokane Girls Fastpitch League 16-U tourney.

Team members include catchers Jaime Darby and Jennie Shollenberger, pitcher-first basemen Thera Hattenburg and Jennifer Stockman, pitcher-third baseman Jessica Murray, shortstop-third baseman Katie Hoffman, second baseman Ashley Lynn, and outfielders Stephanie Linn, Tara Malmquist, Jackie Neuchterlein and Katie Fuller.

The team, said Stockman, took its licks four years ago, but with attention to fundamentals, teamwork and player additions it has steadily improved.

“I think it was a case of maturity in the girls. We stressed teamwork and togetherness all year long,” said Stockman.

“Quite honestly, Jessica being a pitcher coming in from California didn’t hurt either.” Assistant coach George Lynn stressed hitting correctly, and it began to pay off late in the season, beginning in Kelso.

“We told them in April they may struggle now, but if they do it right, they’d peak at the end of July,” said Stockman. “Darned if they didn’t. We hope it can continue in Evanston.”

Dynamic duo not enough

American Legion AAA most valuable player George Petticrew and Eric Hayden weren’t enough to get the Blue Devils to state.

They were the league’s most dominant players on the regular-season championship team, but the Devils lost their best-of-three series finale to the Valley Cannons, ending the season for the league champions.

The Cannons were the one team that had success against the Blue Devils this year. They won six of nine games the two teams played and handed Petticrew his only pitching loss of the summer.

Petticrew won his eighth game, 7-5 in the third game of the Blue Devils’ playoff series against the Royals.

He couldn’t stop the bleeding in relief of game three against the Cannons. A six-run fourth inning led to the 15-9 Blue Devil loss.

During the season, Petticrew compiled a 2.30 earned run average.

He was also third in hitting with a .438 average, led the league in doubles with 22, was second to Hayden in hits with 60 and runs batted in with 57, third in home runs with six and fourth in runs scored with 41.

Hayden batted .401, had 61 hits, led the league with 11 home runs and drove in 58 runs. He also won six games pitching with a 4.50 ERA.

The Blue Devils had five of the league’s top 11 hitters. Kris Granlund hit .396, Jeff Lafferty .391 and Ryan Corigliano .381.

First baseman Hayden, second baseman Corigliano and third baseman Lafferty were all first-team all-league choices.

Pitcher Granland, fourth in league with six wins and a 3.70 ERA, and designated hitter Brian Coe made second team.

Other North Side players on the all-league team were first-team utility player Joe Chimienti and outfielder Seth Winterer of the North Stars.

Legion AA teams ousted

In an all-North Division finale, Hess/Wheeler from Mead was beaten twice by the Panorama Twins for a berth to the State AA American Legion tournament.

After surviving a grueling playoff series with Spokane Athletic Supply, Hess/Wheeler was spanked 14-3 and 17-4 by the Twins.

The two best-of-three playoff series had begun with SAS ousting Shadle Park’s Eagle/Pepsi 13-3.

Hess/Wheeler won twice by a run, 6-5 and 14-13 over SAS, with a 12-8 loss sandwiched between.

During the five games of playoffs, Dan Thigpen was 1-1 pitching and hit safely in each game.

Included was a four-hit outburst against SAS in which the team rallied from a 9-4 deficit to win with two runs in the bottom of the seventh.

Ryan Griego produced the game-winning hit to score Ryan Pugh.

Pugh shared hits honors during the playoffs with Thigpen and Josh Sampson at eight.

Dan Stucky, also 1-1 pitching, and catcher Kyle Ellenz each had six hits.

, DataTimes