Pullman Sweeps Into First

Prep baseball

The Pullman and Lakeside baseball teams showed Monday there’s not a big gap between the top teams in the Great Northern League.

The Greyhounds won two one-run games in the matchup of once-beaten teams, 4-3 and 3-2, to sweep the league doubleheader at Pullman and take sole possession of first place. Pullman is 11-1 in league and 12-2 overall, while Lakeside dropped to 9-3 and 9-5.

Medical Lake is wedged between them in second with a 9-2 record.

In the opener, Pullman scored two runs in the seventh. Nate Nolting scored the tying run when Lakeside tried to pick off Nick Paulson at first base and threw the ball away. Paulson advanced to second on the play and scored on Trent Bray’s single to left field.

Pullman’s Dean Neppel (5-0) pitched a six-hitter with three strikeouts and one walk in the second game.

With one out in the fifth, Dusty Druffel tripled and came home on a Nolting single for the winning run.

Lakeside pitcher Josh Taylor threw a five-hitter with seven strikeouts, two walks and two hit batters.

Also in the league, Phillip Eggleston had six hits, including going 4 for 4 in the second game, as Chewelah (6-7) swept a doubleheader with visiting Riverside (2-11), 7-6 and 7-4. Mike Carpenter pounded a two-run single in Chewelah’s four-run seventh in the first game. Riverside’s David Williams struck out five and hit a three-run leadoff triple in the second in the opener.

In the Greater Spokane League, Conor Finnerty hit a two-run home run and a triple for five RBIs as Ferris (5-1) won at Gonzaga Prep (1-5), 9-5. The Saxons’ Eric Everson struck out seven and walked three in four innings. … University (2-5) scored seven runs in the sixth for a 12-10 victory over visiting East Valley (3-4). Keith Christainson went 2 for 4 with three RBIs and a home run. … Derek Wohlers allowed only two infield singles in his two-hitter as Central Valley (4-2) blanked visiting Lewis and Clark (3-3) 8-0. Wohlers had 10 strikeouts and three walks and Kevin Reed hit a two-run triple.

Ben McCracken struck out seven and walked three to improve his pitching record to 3-0 and also knocked in two runs as Shadle Park (4-2) defeated visiting Mead (3-3) 7-5. Dan Thigpen struck out 10 for Mead and Jake Sampson had three hits and two RBIs. … Nick Scott hit a solo home run in the sixth and a two-run double in the seventh as Rogers (3-4) won 6-1 at Mt. Spokane (1-6). Jim Hryniewicz hit a solo home run that scored Mt. Spokane’s only run.

In the Border League, Ryan Holland pounded a two-run home run in the third inning and finished with four RBIs as Coeur d’Alene blanked West Valley 16-0 at West Valley. .. Colville’s game at Clarkston was postponed until Monday.