Valley Baseball Kicks Off With Extra-Innings Games

Autocraft from Greenacres, and Spokane Valley Firefighters kicked off the new-look Spokane Valley Baseball Giants League in marathon fashion.

The teams played a pair of extra inning games, both tied when suspended by darkness.

The Giants League formed this year with seven teams following a first-ever tryout. The idea was for better competition. Early returns bore out the decision.

Autocraft’s 12-11 8-inning win over Spokane Valley Firefighters had ended tied 11-11 and was completed a week later.

Kris Henderson tripled and scored on Drew Wells’s base hit for the win.

The two teams then played to a 4-4 8-inning standoff during their regularly scheduled game before darkness prevailed. That game will be completed June 30.

The Firefighters lost another one-run extra-inning game as well, losing 5-4 to the Hornets, from Bowdish. The Hornets scored twice in the eighth to break a 3-3 tie.

The Hornets are 3-1 after the first round of competition.

Skipper Bill’s, after three games, and Autocraft after two, are both unbeaten.

Autocraft also beat Valley View Conoco/Dr. Belknap 11-4 with Wells driving in three runs and Henderson two with a pair of hits, including another triple.

Skipper Bill’s whipped Grocery Outlet 24-2, with Brett Gorman getting four hits and Brice Parker three. Each drove in five runs.

The team also beat Norm’s Burger Barn 10-5 and 14-13. In the latter game Matt Johnston hit a grand slam home run and was 3-for-3 with 5 runs batted in.

The season opening week, for 47 teams of players from ages 9 through 14, included as many as four games for some.

Rain conspired against most teams in the Midget League, although 1st Choice Health Care from Trentwood is off to a 2-0 start and Gibson’s Nursery from Ponderosa is 2-1.

Twelve of the league’s 18 teams played just one time. By contrast, the 22-team Pee Wee League has completed three contests.

Five teams are perfect, including Yogi Bear’s Campground from Liberty Lake, Trentwood 2 and Jim Frazier Pro Shop from Ponderosa at 3-0. Two others have two wins.

Tyler Olson from Yogi’s struck out 22 batters and allowed two hits in his three pitching stints. He also had four hits and drove in six runs.

Jim Frazier won twice by shutout behind four pitchers, had a 3-run homer by Tyler Hendricksen, and a 3-hit game by Justin Livingston.

Other significant effort came from Spokane Olympic Sports’s Ryan Dixon, who struck out 20, including nine against Tom’s Barber Shop. He also hit an extra-inning home run to win that game 2-1.

Tom’s, which was no-hit in the loss, won a 6-0 no-hitter the next outing behind three pitchers.

Nick Parmley of Talking Rain hit two triples and drove in five runs during a victory.