Nc Baseball Team Rallies Behind Hare

Central Valley couldn’t catch up to Steve Hare’s pitches or Jason Wederspahn’s fly balls to right field.

But then, Greater Spokane League baseball teams have played catch up to NC since the season began.

Hare (4-1) allowed five singles and no earned runs while striking out 10 Wednesday afternoon, and the Indians rallied for a 5-4 win at home.

NC (11-2) has righted itself with four consecutive wins since slipping out of first place two weeks ago. It will put its GSL lead on the line this afternoon at second-place Ferris (11-3). Ferris lost to NC 10-9 in 10 innings on April 4.

Hare, the winner vs. Ferris, two-hit CV on March 31 during a 7-3 win.

“We had a lot of talk about whether to start me or (Patrick) Donovan because they had seen me before,” Hare said of CV. “But I begged for the ball.”

Wederspahn finished 3 for 3 with two doubles and three runs batted in. He drove in the winner with a two-out single in the sixth inning that right fielder John McFarlane had in his glove but couldn’t control.

Wederspahn added a two-run double to right-center in the fifth that the deep-playing Bears outfielders couldn’t chase down.

“I heard it had a lot of tail on it when it came off the bat,” Wederspahn said. “Because of the wind, it was pretty hard to get to.”

The rally capped a tense day for NC coach Scott Harmon. The game, originally scheduled for Tuesday but rained out, was threatened again by Wednesday’s early showers.

“Some people said it would have benefited us to have another day off, to rest Hare or Donovan for another day, but the kids have been anxious to get out there,” Harmon said.

Maybe too anxious at first. CV led 4-0 after a four-run fourth.

Hare began the trouble by issuing his only two walks of the game, but NC’s defense didn’t help. With the bases loaded and two out, No. 9 hitter Kevin Brown grounded to shortstop Travis Bouten, who threw wildly to second base to bring in two runs. Right fielder B.J. Moffitt retrieved the ball and overthrew third base to send home a third run.

Hare bounced back, striking out four in the final three innings and allowing no runner beyond second. He also began NC’s comeback by driving in the slow-footed Wederspahn from first with a one-out double in the fourth.

“I wanted a triple on that one, buddy,” Hare kidded his junior classmate.

Harmon, attempting to lead NC to its first title since 1978, isn’t putting everything on today’s Ferris game.

“We have to take care of business in all three games we have left, not just (today’s),” Harmon said.

Elsewhere in the GSL, Ben McCracken went the distance, striking out six, and Jeremy McVay doubled and scored on Ben Sorcinelli’s two-out single in the ninth to lift Shadle Park (9-4) to a 2-1 win at Mt. Spokane (4-9). Kevin Joslyn also threw a complete game for the Wildcats. Jerin Harper had an RBI single in the first for the Highlanders, who moved past CV into third place… . Dan Stucky struck out 13 and went 2 for 2 with two RBIs, leading Mead (7-6) to a 5-3 win at Rogers (6-7) and snapping a tie for fifth place. Dan Thigpen added three runs and 3-for-3 hitting for Mead. Mike Kuck of Rogers went 3 for 4 with two RBIs.

Freshman David Williams (3-1) pitched a three-hitter, striking out six and walking one, and Riverside (5-13) tripped up visiting Medical Lake 3-0 in the final Great Northern League game for both. Daniel Loosier and Trevor Stites were both 2 for 3 for Riverside. Creighton Musser of the Cardinals (13-5) doubled twice. ML, the No. 3 seed, will host an opening-round playoff game Tuesday against No. 6 Deer Park. No. 5 Riverside will play at No. 4 Chewelah.

Softball

Jodi Hultquist pitched a two-hitter and Morgan Cerenzia had an RBI single in the fourth, and Mt. Spokane (9-6) defeated visiting Shadle 1-0 to damage the Highlanders’ chances for the GSL title. Elina Gee walked to lead off the fourth and scored on Cenenzia’s one-out, bases-loaded hit to right-center. Jessica Murray struck out 11 for the Highlanders (12-3), who fell two games behind University with three games left… . Also in the GSL, freshman Shawna Livengood’s two-out, two-run double in the seventh lifted Rogers (9-6) to a 2-1 win over visiting Mead (4-12). Mead’s Anna Vagstad took a no-hitter into the fifth and finished with a two-hitter. Jamie Merrill of Rogers struck out six and walked none… . Kalli McGilley struck out 10 and Jennie Shollenberger hit a three-run homer, leading U-Hi (14-1) to a 10-2 win over visiting Gonzaga Prep (5-11). Vanessa Shelton went 3 for 3 for U-Hi, and Megan Owen had three RBIs… . Amy Erickson threw a two-hitter, and Carina Ebat, Amber Shields and Marcy Nauert had three RBIs apiece and combined on 7-of-15 hitting as CV (10-6) rolled to an 11-0 win at NC (0-15). NC’s home plate had been stolen, forcing umpires to use a rubber throw-down base.

Lewiston’s Border League game at West Valley was postponed for the second consecutive day. No makeup date was announced… . The other scheduled league game, Post Falls at Sandpoint, was also postponed with no makeup date announced.

Track and field

Carrie Clemens won the long jump and high hurdles as Shadle Park’s girls defeated three teams at home to capture fifth place in the GSL. Sixth-place Mt. Spokane won the 400- and 800-meter relays. Seventh-place Lewis and Clark was strong in the distances, with wins from Mindy Noble, 800; Emily Fuller, 1,600; and Alana Hagney, 3,200. Winners Kasi Rosset in the discus and Emily Schrader in the javelin led eighth-place Mead… . In the meet for ninth through 11th places at Rogers, Carly Barnes won the 400 and 800, and Janelle Hood won both hurdles to lead Gonzaga Prep over Ferris and the host Pirates. Shayla Bush swept the 100 and 200, and Frankie White took the triple jump and long jump to guide Ferris over Rogers.