Lemaster Powers Ritzville
Fourth-year Ritzville High coach Jason Aldrich received a preseason gift when freshman Dustin Lemaster moved to town from Mountain Home, Idaho, in late winter.
Lemaster has broken the school’s home run record, with seven. Aldrich said Lemaster would have more homers except most Bi-County League fields have no fences. A 400-foot blast can become a simple out.
“He’s not that big a kid, but he’s tearing it up of late,” Aldrich said.
The Broncos are in a race with Davenport, Almira/Coulee-Hartline and Liberty for the league title. The team is hitting .374, topped by senior Dustan Arlt’s .528. Arlt has set school records with 25 stolen bases and 24 walks.
Chewelah protest in limbo
Chewelah thought it had earned another shot at Pullman after an inquiry into an umpire’s call in the second game of an April 10 doubleheader.
On the disputed fourth-inning play, Chewelah’s shortstop tagged second base with his glove while holding the ball in his bare hand. The move is legal, but the base umpire ruled otherwise. Pullman turned an 8-5 lead into 14-5 by the end of the inning.
Great Northern League athletic directors voted 6-2 Tuesday that Chewelah should have been credited with the inning-ending forceout. But Chewelah coach Lonnie Hoxie learned Wednesday that the GNL dispute must be handled by a panel of two league principals, not from the schools involved, and league baseball president Trip Goodall of Deer Park.
The protest will be re-evaluated.
In another matter, the Cougars did not, as reported, forfeit the second game of last Saturday’s doubleheader at Medical Lake.
ML athletic director Chris Hyta failed to alert his team and umpires that the twinbill had been moved back up 10 a.m., to accommodate Chewelah’s prom.
ML will forfeit the game unless it schedules a makeup.
Perfection eludes Dragons
St. George’s, 20-0 in the Panorama League last year, lost its shot at another 20-0 with an 8-7 loss to Northwest Christian in the second game of a doubleheader last week.
“I was kind of thinking if we got by (NWC), we might be 40-0, and that would be something to hold on to,” said coach Ross Thomas, whose Dragons are 17-1.
Thomas’ son, Pat, and senior Tom DePonty are 6-0 on the mound after Tuesday’s sweep of Republic. Seniors Blair Davis and Dan Dhillon are hitting better than .500. Dhillon’s slugging percentage tops 1.200.
Ferris, Colville make list
Ferris and Colville are ranked in the state poll that Lem Elway of Anacortes has compiled for several years.
Ferris stands No. 8 among 4A teams. Colville is No. 4 in 2A.
Columbia River, 4A; Moses Lake, 3A; and Ephrata, 2A, are ranked No. 1. The state’s undefeated teams are Columbia River, West Seattle (13-0) in 3A and Meridian (12-0) in 2A.
Elway doesn’t rank 1A or B.