It’S A Pitchers’ Day As 4A Region Opens
Prep softball
Three days following a loss that had Shadle Park softball players and coaches questioning themselves, the Highlanders found some answers.
Jessica Murray pitched a one-hitter and catcher Dorthea Gooch provided the offense during Shadle’s 5-0 Region IV 4A-opening victory against Richland.
Murray’s was one of five pitching gems during the first evening of regional competition Friday at Franklin Park. They included a 15-strikeout no-hitter in defeat by Lewis and Clark’s Kaylene Fountain.
The Tigers lost 1-0 to Eisenhower on a pair of sixth-inning errors.
Form held as No. 1- and 2-seeded teams from both Big Nine and Greater Spokane leagues won.
University’s Megan Owen pitched a two-hit shutout at Walla Walla as the Titans won 8-0, and Moses Lake pitcher Sarah Chamberlain threw a one-hitter to blank Central Valley 4-0.
Play resumes at 10 a.m. today with the Titans meeting Eisenhower and the Highlanders facing Moses Lake in winner-to-state games.
In loser-out games at noon, CV plays Richland and LC faces Walla Walla. Games at 2 p.m. between the 10 a.m. losers and noon winners will determine two more state entrants. Seeding games wind it up at 4 p.m.
Shadle 5, Richland 0
Gooch hit a third-inning triple and scored on a wild pitch to provide all the runs Murray needed. For good measure, the Highlanders’ catcher bunted home the final run during a four-run fourth.
“I had no doubts we’d win,” said Gooch. “Every good team has a bad game in there somewhere.”
She was referring to the 13-1 district loss the team suffered earlier in the week. Coaches and players said they didn’t know what to think.
“I still haven’t figured it out,” said coach Janie VandeBerg. “Jess was not Jess.”
She was against Richland, and by the time the Bombers brought in hard-throwing senior lefty Patricia Eby in relief of freshman starter Morgan Richeson, it was too late against Murray and the Highlanders.
University 8, Walla Walla 0
The district champion Titans continue to hit with abandon.
They banged out 11, including a triple by Jill Oglesbee during a two-run first inning that stood until the bottom of the sixth.
There the Titans erupted for six more runs with four hits, including two-run singles by Kate Pospisil and Vanessa Shelton.
Sarah Bishop hit safely her first three times at bat.
“I think I got the jitters out last week at district,” said Bishop. “It’s fun to watch everybody on this team produce.”
Owen struck out 12 and allowed but five baserunners.
“We hit the ball fairly well, defensively didn’t make any mistakes and Megan pitched a great game,” summed up coach Jon Schuh.
Eisenhower 1, LC 0
Pitchers Lyndsey Bean of Ike and Fountain threw one goose egg after another and combined for 27 strikeouts. LC outhit the Cadets 6-0.
Neither team threatened seriously until the fifth inning. LC loaded the bases with no outs and had the top of the order coming up, but didn’t score.
In the sixth inning, the ball came loose on a tag attempt on Alexa Folsom-Hill, who was running out a grounder to first. Two strikeouts later, she scored the winner on a juggled grounder to second.
Moses Lake 4, CV 0
A three-run second-inning home run by Sarah Steffler was the big blow in the Chiefs’ victory. She added an RBI single in the sixth.
Pitcher Chamberlain did the rest, facing only 24 batters, three over the minimum. CV’s Carina Ebat broke up the no-hitter with a single to open the seventh inning.
Briana Young pitched a five-inning no-hitter as Pullman defeated Chewelah 11-0 to open the District 7 2A tournament at Medical Lake. Riverside’s Thera Hattenburg also pitched a shutout to open district with a 6-0 win over Deer Park. Christa Brossman, who was 2 for 3, and Andrea Clark, who had a two-run double, provided Pullman’s punch. Jeni Woodard went 3 for 4 to highlight Riverside’s offense. Chewelah (5-16) and Deer Park (7-14) were eliminated… . The tourney shifts to a double-elimination format today, also at Medical Lake. The 10 a.m. matchups are Pullman (15-5) vs. Medical Lake (13-6), and Riverside (11-10) vs. Lakeside (17-1). Two teams will qualify for the state tournament.
Selkirk (25-2) defeated Springdale 2-0 in the championship game of the District 7 B tournament at Kettle Falls, reversing last weekend’s loss to the Chargers (17-4) in the Panorama League tournament title game. Rachea Allert and Randi Shaw had RBI hits in the second to help the Rangers to the title… . The Panorama dominated the Bi-County League by winning the top four seeds to next weekend’s State B tournament at Franklin Park… . Northwest Christian (21-6) took No. 3 by defeating Republic (17-7). No score was reported. … Bi-County regular-season champion Almira/Coulee-Hartline (22-3) notched a 12-7 win over Davenport (17-10) in the game for fifth and sixth seeds. Angie Elder and Tiffany Giese were both 3 for 4 for ACH. Davenport’s Addie Lust went 6 for 11 on the day, with three doubles, two triples and seven RBIs. … Reardan (15-11) earned the seventh and final seed with an 18-5 win that eliminated Inchelium (12-10). Bobbie Mollenberg had her 13th homer for Inchelium, but the Hornets committed 16 errors.