Grocery Outlet first champions

Grocery Outlet didn’t beat themselves and, as a result, no one else beat them either.

The first champion of Spokane Valley Baseball playoffs is the North Pines Giants League team, with a relatively new look but a second-straight undefeated season.

Grocery Outlet won two playoff games 9-4 to finish 14-0 and run the school’s two-year winning streak to 27 in a row. In the semifinals, the team rallied from a 4-1 deficit to beat Mountain View and topped Focus Group (Bowdish) in the title game Thursday at University High School after leading just 3-2 through three innings.

“It’s kind of nice to have a year where you have enough talent to do what we did,” said new Grocery Outlet coach Randy Sylvia.

The team broke open the game with Focus Group in the middle innings, parlaying seven walks and three of Focus Group’s seven errors into five runs and an 8-2 lead. The biggest blow was an RBI double by Drew Baddeley in the three-run fifth.

Baddeley is one of four returnees from last year’s champs. The others are RJ Daschbach, Kyle Haugen and Alex Pohle.

Sylvia said he sent in no highlights during his team’s 14-win season.

“I didn’t feel like singling out anyone individually,” he said. “You win and lose as a team.”

But he credited the leadership and unselfishness of four 14-year-old players, Dashbach, Baddeley, David Germany and Chris Sherry with providing the team’s spark.

Solid defense, good pitching, and timely hitting and opportunism were keys to the perfect season.

“We had our share of moments this year,” Sylvia said. “But they kept the pressure on and didn’t let mistakes get to them.”

Team members include Dustin Dufner, Josh Gilbert, Michael LaFranchise, Tim Panther, Daniel Seymour, Chris Sherry, Joseph Sorensen, Adam Sylvia, Justin Degenhardt and Josh Peugh.

Focus Group (9-5) had reached the finals by outscoring Blasingame Insurance (Centennial, 8-4) in a football-like score of 27-16.

Nine first-inning walks put Focus Group up 9-2 after an inning, and the team had a 12-run third but the win didn’t come easily even though Blasingame pitchers walked 13 and hit four more batters.

The score was 10-8 after 2 ½ innings and 22-16 an inning later. Kirk MacCallum‘s two-run single brought home the final runs during a five-run bottom of the fourth. He was also 3-for-3 in the title game.

Jacob Gauche went 3-for-3 with a double and was one of three Focus Group players who drove in four runs. Gauche went 5-for-6 and scored six runs in the playoffs.

Meanwhile, finalists were set for Friday’s and today’s Pee Wee and Midget championship games.

The Midget final, between White Elephant (University, 10-4) and McDonald’s (Adams, 11-3) is at 10 a.m. at West Valley.

No. 4 seeded White Elephant upset National League top seed Hurliman Heating (Ponderosa, 10-3) 17-13 and National No. 2 George Velis DDS (Chester, 11-3) 7-2 to advance.

Teams combined for 29 hits in the opener with White Elephant leading early, then rallying with nine runs late. In the second game, a five-run first inning settled the game against George Velis.

Scott Ducar was 5-for-8, drove in six runs and pitched well in the second game. Michael Barth was 4-for-7, scoring seven runs and driving in four, including a solo home run. Devin Thompson had two strong pitching efforts.

McDonald’s knocked out Whalen Chiropractic (St. Mary’s 9-4) 2-1 in one of three thrilling first-round playoff games,and eliminated American Division top-seed Spokane County Sheriff’s Officers (East Farms, 11-2) 13-6 in the semifinals.

Three of four American Division teams won the openers. SCSO beat Sidelines (Greenacres, 6-7) 3-1, and lone National Division winner George Velis rallied for a 9-7 victory over Spokane Recycling (Liberty Lake, 8-5).

American Division playoff qualifiers swept the National Division in opening Pee Wee League games, and fourth-seeded Mountain Dew (Liberty Lake) ultimately reached the finals with a pair of one-run wins.

They played Dr. DeCounter (Pasadena, 12-2) for the title Friday.

Mountain Dew, now 9-5 overall, upset regular-season National Division winner Conley’s (Opportunity, which ended the season 11-1) 5-4 on Taylor Downey‘s two-out two-run double in the top of the sixth inning. Joel Bozarth was 3-for-3 and Dakota Pearce pitched the final three shutout innings.

Mountain Dew then eliminated Pizza Hut (Trentwood, 11-3) 3-2 in the semifinals; all three runs were in the second inning. Ryan Wells hit a two-run double, and Philip Smith drove in the deciding run.

Pizza Hut beat Spokane Athletic (Liberty Lake II, 8-4-1) 13-1 in the first round.

Dr. DeCounter scored early for a 4-2 win over Tom’s Barber Shop (University 8-5) and topped Merit Electric (Ponderosa, 11-2-1) 5-3 in the semis. Hunter Wells was 5-for-6, scored four runs and struck out 11 while allow just two hits pitching. Harrison Wells, his brother, had three hits and five runs batted in, and Brandon Davis went 4-for-5.

Merit Electric blanked Shriners (Orchard Center, 7-6) 8-0 in its opener. Brandon Anderson had two home runs and five runs batted in, and Carson Schlect added two more homers.

Teams who haven’t turned in their equipment to the Valley Baseball League office are asked to do so Monday between 6 and 8 p.m.

The games golfers play

Ah, the games MeadowWood Women’s 18-Hole Golf members play.

This week’s was called “Sucker in the Bucket” where, after all members of a foursome have putted out, one person’s ball is used for the score and so-on until all four are used.

The fourth ball scored is the sucker.

The foursome then started over with any of two balls scored on the 17th and 18th. A variation is that only the sucker ball is scored.

At any rate, Patsy Lynn, Bette Harmon, Carol Alboucq and Ets Yamada finished with net 66. Kathy March, Glenna March, Noreen Sale and Raouleen Grimes were at net 65.

Jacobs leads at Trailhead

It was Joyce Jacobs‘s day during weekly Trailhead Ladies Golf Club competition.

Jacobs shot low gross 46 to lead A flight golfers. B flight went to Harriet Carbon with 54, C flight to Sandi Hatcher with 56 and no-handicap to Bobbie Parent with 64.

Net winners were Dee Elder in A flight with 33, Bev Johnson in B with 30 and Pat Woollett in C with 27.

Tie for tops at Painted Hills

A pair of A flight golfers shared honors during last week’s Painted Hills Ladies League action.

Patti Gowell and Kim Tucker both shot 45 to tie for best low-gross score.

Other flight leaders were June Hathaway with 52 in B, Kathy Walker with 55 in C, Mary Jo Kraut with 57 in D,and Karen Feyk with 53 in no-handicap.

Net winners were Gail Bailey with 33 in A, Susan Crosby with 35 in B, Carol Chevalier with 34 in C, and Penny Lancaster with 27 in D.

Karen Goyins had a birdie on the first hole and Debbie Paullin birdied No. 7. Beth Zehm chipped in on No. 4.

T-shirt tourney at Liberty Lake

Liberty Lake Women’s Club conducted a two-round, best ball T-shirt tournament during outings on July 20 and 27.

First place was the team of Jill Grover, Raouleen Grimes, Mary Gehrman and Patty Gowell with a score of 50.

Second-place team of Patty Aunan, Jean Hatcher, Jan Hussey and Linda Dreher, and third-place team of Billie Etter, Marie Nelson, Freda Beckman and Sue Meyers both scored 56.

Fourth place went to Honey Conlon, Reiko Takamori, Lesley Dunbar and Marie Baker with a score of 57.