Tigers, Bears Too Ferocious In District

Prep softball

The top of the order produced for Lewis and Clark, earning the Tigers their first regional softball appearance, and the bottom of the order qualified Central Valley again after a year’s absence.

LC’s third-seeded Tigers defeated Mead 6-0 in the loser-out opener of District 8 play. No. 5 Central Valley followed with a 2-0 win over No.4 Rogers.

LC leadoff hitter Sarah Travis reached base and scored runs her first three appearances.

CV’s seventh and eighth hitters, Adrianne Jensen and Cheyanne Stalwick, had fifth-inning base hits and scored the game’s only runs on a two-out error.

The tournament continues today, 3:45 p.m. at Franklin Park when LC plays No. 2 seed Shadle Park. Following at 6 p.m. is the game between CV and top-seeded University.

All four teams will play May 22 at the regional tournament in Richland. Games today and Tuesday determine their Big Nine opponents.

LC’s shutout over Mead and first regional appearance was not unexpected.

“It hasn’t been done before, but the kids would have been disappointed if they hadn’t won,” said coach Dennis DeBill. “It was our goal. We knew we’d be here.”

Travis was hit by a pitch to open the game, moved up on Kayla Adams’ sacrifice and scored when pitcher Kaylene Fountain’s long fly ball to center field was dropped.

The scenario was repeated in the third inning when Travis singled, advanced on Adams’ bunt and scored on Fountain’s single to right.

In LC’s four-run fifth, Travis and Adams reached on errors, Adams’ grounder scoring Travis. Fountain doubled Adams home.

“We had this thing before the game that I’d get on, Kayla would sacrifice and Kaylene would hit me home,” said Travis. “That’s what happened. It’s nice.”

The Tigers’ other runs included a long triple by Ashley Andrews.

Fountain, meanwhile, was nearly flawless. She had a no-hitter until Anna Vagstad’s leadoff seventh-inning single.

Fountain faced the minimum 18 batters through six innings, allowing two base runners who were later thrown out. She struck out 11.

“We just ran into a couple of buzz saws,” said Mead coach John Barrington. “I thought when we faced Shadle Park Monday they were the best team at the time. LC’s right there.”

The CV-Rogers game was scoreless until Jensen and Stalwick produced in the fifth.

Jensen legged out an infield hit and Stalwick slapped out a single to right field. They moved up on a groundout and scored on a throwing error.

“I played with Jamie Merrill for four summers and knows she throws the outside pitch a lot,” said Stalwick. “I just crowded the plate and reached for it.”

The Bears struck out nine times, but had six hits. CV’s Shanelle Test, meanwhile, hurled a three-hit shutout with eight strikeouts against a team that had beaten her twice.

“It’s hard to beat a team three times,” said CV coach Jon Schuh. “The name of the game is hit the ball on the ground, and sometimes someone’s going to make mistakes.”

East Valley needed two games to earn the top regional seed over West Valley.

The two teams play against four Mid-Valley League schools next weekend in Moses Lake.

The Eagles won 5-3 in the opener on Monica Hilsabeck’s three-hit game, but were shutout 2-0 by Katie Hirst in Game 2. Hirst also singled in the game’s only runs.

By winning, EV has a first-game bye in regionals. WV opens the tournament against Moses Lake in a loser-out game.

Kelli Wilson’s two-out, RBI single in the seventh allowed Medical Lake (13-6, 7-3) to edge visiting Colfax 7-6 in the GNL.

Becky Hamel added a two-run homer and Marissa Greene a solo shot, both in the fifth, for the Cardinals.

ML finished its league schedule. The Cardinals will finish no worse than fourth. Colfax is 9-9, 4-5 heading into the final weekend of the regular season.