Doubleheader Sweep Of Cheney Helps Knights Five-Game Win Streak Puts Knights In Race
There’s nothing like a sweep of a previously unbeaten league foe to make a baseball team well in hurry.
Streaky East Valley’s Frontier League baseball playoff chances improved dramatically with last Saturday’s convincing 14-5 and 4-0 wins over league leader Cheney.
Then West Valley continued Cheney’s woes with a 6-4 win on Tuesday, thanks to a four-run fifth inning, to slip past EV into fourth place.
Pitcher Jason Phillipe allowed no runs over the final four innings.
Wins marked the fourth straight year the Knights have won the season series two games to one over Cheney.
Knight coach Kurt Krauth is at a loss to explain why, particularly after losing Tuesday in Clarkston to give EV an 8-7 record with three league games remaining. .
“I wish I knew why we did,” he said, “because I’d package it for every game.”
Clarkston (8-5) and two other teams the Knights have yet to play, WV (8-6) and Colville (7-5) for two games, also are vying for one of four Frontier playoff berths.
“It’s still one of those scary things,” said Krauth. “We still have to play well.”
The Eagles travel to Cheney Saturday in an important doubleheader.
“I think everybody’s right there,” said Krauth. “No one’s significantly better than the other.”
East Valley has had an up-and-down year. The Knights opened with two wins, lost twice, swept Clarkston in a doubleheader, then lost four straight games.
“It’s just high school kids,” said Krauth. “They will play really well, then have a letdown.”
Then the Knights won four straight. Kris Allen’s first victory, a three-hit shutout, to complete the sweep of Cheney was pivotal.
Bill Tincup, who leads the team with 18 hits, has batted safely in all but three games.
Pitching ace Brian Lamarche has hit safely in eight of the team’s last nine. Joe Furgason and Raymond Ruiz have also have been major contributors.
Back and forth, up and down
Five games remain for Central Valley and six for University in the unpredictable Greater Spokane League baseball season.
And still only a couple of games separate third place from ninth. As such, every game remains an adventure.
The Bears (6-5), moved back into third place with three consecutive wins before Tuesday afternoon’s 10-4 loss to second-place Ferris.
Fourth-place University (5-5) upset the Saxons with a seven-run seventh inning, then lost 2-1 to sixth-place Gonzaga Prep despite out-hitting the Bullups 7-4.
Today the Bears are at currently hot Shadle Park, Friday they host the Bullpups and next Tuesday travel to league-leader Mead.
U-Hi is at North Central today, hosts Mead on Friday and next Tuesday entertains Rogers.
During three wins last week Nate Bartlett had a four-hit victory and earned a save. Ben Miller and Raif Jochim combined for a dozen hits.
Dave Powell’s three-run homer highlighted U-Hi’s rally against Ferris, but the Titans managed just one run in two other games.
We’ve got us a title race
New light was shed on Frontier League softball, following Colville’s doubleheader sweep of West Valley last weekend.
Three teams are virtually tied for the lead, which won’t be sorted out until the final week of the season.
That’s when West Valley hosts East Valley May 13 in a single game and the Knights travel to Colville for a weekend twin bill to wind up the year.
WV has a 10-2 record, EV and Colville are 8-2.
The Eagles managed just two hits during 2-0 and 2-1 losses. They were no-hit in the first game.
Earlier in the week, EV had blanked the Indians 1-0 on Rebecca Triplett’s three-hitter.
Track athletes star at invites
Valley Christian’s Carmen Evans won the 100 meter hurdles and anchored the Panthers to season-best relay times at the Kings Invitational meet in Seattle.
While the VC senior was accomplishing that, University High boys were turning in impressive efforts in Hermiston, Ore., and West Valley’s boys were winning the Mooberry Relays here in Spokane.
Evans, a senior state placer, timed 16.3 to lower her area Class B best by .4 second. The relay teams ran 54.4 and 1:57.0, which are also area B bests.
Titan athletes won four events and finished second in two others at Hermiston.
Jason Berger won the 100 in 10.78, was third at 49.63 in the 400 and helped the team run 42.5 and 3:23.8 during two relay wins.
Cody Hirschi pole vaulted 14-0 to victory and Tim Buchanan ran a 22.39 200.
WV’s Vinny Pecht was Mooberry outstanding male athlete with his 183-9 discus toss. Joined by Ryan Spivey, the Eagles won the discus relay.
Ryan Schroder and Eric Deno combined to win the high jump. Devion Tensley and Andy Miller won the long jump and Tensley joined Brad Groh for second in the triple jump.
WV was also second behind East Valley in the pole vault, with Rick Collins clearing 13-6.
Knight Brandon Blize was second in both hurdles.
WV boys basketball camp
Eagle Hoop Camp for grades 2-11 will run from June 23-July 3.
Cost is $45 per athlete, including T-shirt and a basketball for campers grades 2-7.
To register, contact Joe Feist at 922-5488 or Jamie Nilles at 487-8428. Completed forms can be mailed to Eagle Hoop Camp, West Valley High School, 8301 E. Buckeye, Spokane, WA 99212.
, DataTimes