Big Nine Softball Teams Sweep

Big Nine Conference softball teams swept the Greater Spokane League during Friday’s Region IV-AAA openers at Moses Lake.

No result was more disheartening for the GSL than fourth-seeded Walla Walla’s 4-1 win over University, the GSL champ that entered 22-0.

U-Hi meets Central Valley and Rogers plays Mead in loser-out games at noon today. The GSL can earn no more than one of the available three berths to next weekend’s State AAA tourney at Yakima.

Walla Walla 4, University 1

Erin Hellberg hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning as the Blue Devils beat the Titans (22-1). WW plays Eisenhower at 10 a.m.

Cheryl Andrizzi lost for the first time since last year’s state tournament. U-Hi’s Lisa Muroya had two hits.

Walla Walla 000 220 0 - 4 8 2

University 000 001 0 - 1 6 3

Angley and Clink; Andrizzi and Christensen. W-Angley. L-Andrizzi (18-1).

HITS: Walla Walla-Maher 2, Hellberg, Bamford, Avery, Clink, Angley, Johnson; University-Madsen, Pierce, Muroya 2, Oglesbee, Meyer. 2B-Avery, Meyer. HR-Hellberg.

Eisenhower 7, Central Valley 6

The Cadets allowed three runs in the seventh but escaped when the Bears (13-8) stranded a runner who reached first with one out. Amanda Del Mese had three RBIs, Kristen Heuett two for CV.

Central Valley 000 120 3 - 6 11 5

Eisenhower 202 030 x - 7 11 1

Mills and Stangland; Rikerd and Van Epps. W-Rikerd. L-Mills (13-4).

HITS: Central Valley-Gardner, Sackmann 2, Del Mese 3, Kr.Heuett 2, Ke.Heuett, Schmidt, Pierce. Eisenhower-Roberts 2, Rikerd, Luring 2, Van Epps 3, Kennedy, Anderwald, Bodeen. 3B-Del Mese, Luring, Van Epps.

Moses Lake 4, Rogers 2

The Pirates (11-11) left 10 runners on base in losing to the Big Nine champion Chiefs. ML plays Richland at 10 a.m.

Moses Lake scored two of its runs on errors. Rogers’ Jaime Christensen had two hits.

Rogers 000 200 0 - 2 4 2

Moses Lake 013 000 x - 4 6 5

Merrill and Vulcano; Chaberlun and Mason. W-Chaberlun. L-Merrill (10-10).

HITS: Rogers-Perry, Christensen 2, Abrahamson. Moses Lake- Martinez 2, Layton, Reichlin, Mason, Latson. 2B-Layton. 3B-Martinez, Watson.

Richland 5, Mead 1

Kelly Smith scattered six hits and Kathy Peoples tripled and scored in the sixth inning as the Bombers beat the Panthers (15-6).

Natalie Kehl had two hits for Mead. Richland had one earned run against Shanelle Test, who struck out six.

Richland 000 201 2 - 5 4 1

Mead 000 100 0 - 1 7 3

Smith and K.Peoples; Test, Karstens (5) and Bonanno. W-Smith. L-Test (8-2).

HITS: Richland-Christensen 2, Verhulp, K.Peoples 2, Turner. Mead-Kehl 2, Turner, Karstens, Carnahan, A.Miller. 2B-Verhulp, Kehl. 3B-K.Peoples.

District 9-B softball

Garfield-Palouse 11, Touchet 5

Nancy Sheffler had three RBIs, two on a double in the second inning, as the Vikings (19-3) beat the Indians in the title game at Endicott.

Missy Hill was 3 for 3 for Gar-Pal, which opens the State B tournament at Franklin Park at 11 a.m. Friday. Touchet opens state at 1 p.m.

Touchet 010 120 1 - 5 7 1

Gar.-Palouse 524 000 x - 11 15 6

Nolan and Collopy; Roper and Eck. W-Roper. L-Nolan.

HITS: Touchet-Nolan 2, Wagoner 2, Kelsay, Egbert, Bussell. Garfield-Palouse-Cottrill 2, Akins, Tronsen, Shelden 2, Sheffler, Atkinson, Eck 2, Hill 3, Welch, Roper. 2B-Sheffler. 3B-Hill, Kelsay. HR-Egbert.

Region IV-AAA tennis

Big Nine holds edge

The Big Nine Conference qualified six teams and the Greater Spokane League two for today’s finals at Kamiakin High in Kennewick.

Mead’s boys upheld the GSL’s honor, with No. 1 Ryan Moran in singles and No. 1 Brett Kaiser-Tory Gambill in doubles qualifying for finals. Moran never dropped a set. Kaiser-Gambill needed a 9-7 tiebreaker to beat Wenatchee’s Kyle Lester-Greg Jones 7-6, 6-4 in their semi-final.

All finalists are guaranteed spots at next weekend’s state tourney in Yakima.

Richland’s Lindsey Nott, a Big Nine girls second seed, beat GSL No. 1 Darcy Ruemping of Ferris 6-4, 6-2 in a semifinal. Gonzaga Prep’s Kendra Leyda and Alecia Nelson, No. 1 girls from the GSL, lost to Big Nine No. 2 Heather Henretig and Lauren Montgomery of Davis (Yakima) 6-1, 2-6, 6-1 in a semifinal.

Four individuals or teams in each division are in the running for the final state bid. The GSL and Big Nine have eight apiece left in consolations.

District 7-AA tennis

Clarkston sweeps

Clarkston’s doubles teams of Herb Boreson-Mark Andrews and Lacey AbleMarci Conrad won titles at Pullman.

Boreson-Andrews beat Cheney’s Brian Eggart-Wei Kuo 6-3, 6-0. Eggart-Kuo had scraped by East Valley’s Dennis and Ben Winters 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (7-2) in a semifinal.

Able-Conrad rallied past Pullman’s Katy Huberty-Melanie Zollars 1-6, 6-4, 6-0. All finalists advance to next weekend’s state tourney at Tacoma.

District 7/9-A/B tennis

Medical Lake, Lakeside dominate Medical Lake and Lakeside pushed three players apiece into today’s finals at Whitworth College.

Sara Cotton, girls singles; Josh Greene, boys singles; and Jeff Racicot and Josh Mastel, boys doubles, made the finals for Medical Lake.

For Lakeside, Dave Dillingham, boys singles; Melissa Judd and Tawny Handy, girls doubles; and Camron Gardella and Nate Hickman, boys doubles, are in the finals. Dillingham and Gardella-Hickman are Northeast A No. 2 seeds that knocked off Bi-County top seeds from Wilbur-Creston.

Also in today’s finals are Davenport’s Christine Dickson, girls singles; and Odessa’s Desirae Melcher and Loni Watters, girls doubles. All finalists have clinched spots in next weekend’s state tourney in Spokane. The third-place finisher will also advance.

, DataTimes