Finishing First, Winning Tourney Are Different Things
Girls Softball
Finishing first during the Spokane Valley Girls Softball Association regular season wasn’t a prerequisite for winning league championships come tournament time.
Stranberg Electric, in the 18-U League, was the only undisputed regular-season league leader to do so in the double-elimination playoffs.
Even it wasn’t unscathed. Stranberg came out of the loser’s bracket following a semifinal loss to claim its second straight SVGSA championship.
Fourth-place regular season finisher Leo’s Photography won the 14-U title in two games. Fifth-place Nordstrom, Nees and Schott in the 12-U League, and Bank of Fairfield, second in the 10-U, finished their tournaments unbeaten.
Daylong championship play Saturday capped the two-weekend double-elimination tournaments at East Valley Middle School complex.
Repeat, the hard way
Winning a second straight 18-U championship wasn’t easy for Stranberg Electric.
By losing 8-6 in its opener against Evergreen Physical Therapy, whose Molly Allen and Emily Rees went 3-for-4 and K.D. Stensgar hit two doubles, Stranberg was forced into a four-game day.
The Freeman team responded with three wins, 23-9 over Eagle Janitorial Supply and 11-1 and 21-10 over EPT.
“We got off on the wrong foot and snuck through the back door,” said coach Kevin Miller.
Ashley Stranberg, who hit .588 for the tourney, had three hits and drove in five runs. Annie Morphy hit a two-run triple against Eagle.
In the first win over EPT, Heidi Tibbetts had three hits, including a triple. She hit .722 in the tourney.
In the second game, Stranberg scored nine times in the sixth inning to break it open. Tia St. Andrew hit two doubles, catcher Leslie Yunker and shortstop Alisha Miller combined on a throw out at second, throw out at home double play. Kristina Lundy and Megan Gallinger combined on the pitching.
Miller, Morphy, Lundy, St. Andrew, Yunker, Stranberg, Kim Nelson, Kay Salisbury, Wendy Uptain, Lindsey House and Sarah Steffes/Schrempp returned from last year’s champions. Newcomers were Tibbetts, Gallinger and Rachel Angel.
“We pretty much dominated regular season and came into the tournament with the same expectations,” said Miller. “To be a two-time champion is real special.”
Pleasant end for first-time coaches
Leo’s Photography’s sweep through the 14-U tournament was a pleasant surprise for first-time coaches Sherry and Larry Nield.
“First of all we shocked them because we were fourth during the season,” said Sherry Nield. “We were pretty much not expected to go that far.”
Second, the team was stunned that it reached the finals undefeated. It beat Godfather’s Pizza 19-10 at 8 a.m. Saturday morning for its fourth straight tournament victory.
“Whoever we had to play had to beat us twice,” said Nield.
Alutek, coached by Becky Kay, gave it a try. After losing to Leo’s the Sunday before, the team won four straight games, including 8-7 over Leo’s, to come close.
Then Leo’s girls outlasted Alutek 21-12 to claim the title.
“I never thought we would be first. Becky’s team was just outstanding,” said Nield. “She’s the whole reason I’m doing this, because I saw her coaching.”
Kelsey Giese and Ashlee Nield shared pitching in all six tournament games. Defensively, shortstop Kari Snyder and third base Katie Nees stood out. The rest, said Nield, worked together.
They included Rhonda Kelley, Sierra Mathena, Kara Giese, Kelsey’s twin, Katie Neise, Josie Close, Natalie Luth, Mandy Harris, Tara McQueary, Amanda Mayhle and team good luck charm Roxie Baldwin.
Nordstrom win a family affair
It takes a family to raise a championship. Or so it seemed in the case of Nordstrom, Nees and Schott.
The tournament’s 12-U champs included third baseman-outfielder Apryl Winters, her coach father Dana with help from older sister Leigh and brother Layton, and her mother Lorene.
The team went 7-3 during regular season, finishing behind a pair of unbeatens and two teams with two losses each.
“I thought we had the best overall team,” said first-year coach Dana Winters, whose decision to play his lineup equally regardless of talent paid off in the long haul.
“The parents all pay 40 bucks,” said Winters. “There’s no way I can say to an 11 or 12 year old you’re not good enough. I just played all the kids the same in any position they wanted and tried to figure where they played best for the playoffs.”
Nordstrom won five straight games. It beat Double Dans 10-9 and Kilgore Architectural 20-19 on Saturday for the title thanks to a double play and final out assist by shortstop Sabrinna Mallah.
Kilgore, unbeaten in regular season, had won five straight games following a tourney-opening loss.
Other team members for Nordstrom, Nees and Schott’s champions were Nicki Celestino, Jenafer Jackson, Sara Kitley, Alex Marquard, Ashley Mayhle, Jamie McCullough, Molly Nordstrom, Nichole Oakshott, Amanda Portch, Kayla Reilly, Tina Staples, and Kristina Wall.
Quality, character win the day
There was no secret to Bank of Fairfield’s success, said coach Guy Coumont after his team avenged a regularseason loss to Jon Paradis Construction with 11-1 and 11-9 victories in the 10-U tournament.
“You know what?” he said. “We’ve got quality kids and parents with a lot of character. I just had to write the lineup and step out of the way. It was an awful lot of fun, though.”
Last year the team was on its way to at least third in the tournament then had to forfeit out. This time the girls won four straight times after going 7-3 during regular season.
In the title game, Bank of Fairfield led 4-1, fell behind 7-4, then rallied for four runs in the final inning. Casey Olson struck out the side. Darby Moberg homered and Kelsey Scott, who caught both games, had several putouts at home.
Rounding out the team are Megan Coumant, who went 2-for-3, Brooke Sanders, Lauren Nooner, Kayla Burke, Alexa Morales, Lyndsey Ruland, Breanna Barsten, Hannah Lamon, Christy Finley, Abby Vanderlinden and Bree Riddle.