Mellor, Maj pitch Colfax past Freeman
Matt Mellor and Jameson Maj combined on a three-hitter Friday as two-time defending state champion Colfax defeated Freeman 9-1 in a District 7 1A tournament baseball semifinal at Colfax.
Mellor struck out seven in 5 2/3 innings. Maj fanned three and finished 2 for 4 with two runs and two runs batted in. Kyle Doering of the Bulldogs (14-3-1) went 2 for 3 with two RBIs.
Colfax will play Lind-Ritzville (15-4) at 1 p.m. today at Washington State University for a state berth. The loser will play at 4 for the No. 2 berth to state, against the 10 a.m. winner between Freeman (12-9) and Kettle Falls (12-7).
Earlier at Colfax, Nate Szymanowski went 2 for 3 with two runs and earned the pitching win as Freeman recorded a 4-2 win that eliminated Liberty (4-17). Freeman’s Ryan Bushnell had a two-run double in the fifth… . In district play at Ritzville, Jake Kragt and Jared Olson were a combined 5 for 7 with four runs to give the host Broncos a 9-2 win over Kettle Falls… . KF began the day with a 2-1 win that ousted Northwest Christian (2-17). Taylor Robinson doubled in the sixth and scored the winning run on Ryan Lamm’s single. KF’s Jeff Robinson and NWC’s John Hauck matched four-hitters, both striking out eight.
• Marty Villa threw a two-hitter, with seven strikeouts and five walks, and added a two-run double in the second as Davenport (18-4) qualified for state with a 3-0 win over Northport (16-4) in the District 7 B sub-district. Ryan Janke added a fifth-inning sacrifice fly for the Gorillas. Monday’s district semifinals at Avista Stadium will feature Davenport vs. St. Michael’s (16-1) at 10 a.m., and Republic (15-3) vs. Wilbur-Creston (16-5) at 12:30 p.m. The title game will be at 3:30, followed by the consolation. All teams have qualified for state.
Track and field
Asotin’s boys and girls won team titles during the Whitman County meet at Colfax. The Panthers boys scored 135 points for a 66-point gap over LaCrosse-Washtucna. Asotin’s girls (117 points) held off St. John-Endicott by 22 points. Steve Parks won the boys high jump, long jump and triple jump to lead the Panthers. The top four in each event qualified for next weekend’s District 9 B meet in Clarkston.
Tennis
Unseeded Ben Gullickson of Lewis and Clark defeated No. 1 Juan Montalvo of Central Valley 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 in the boys singles semifinals at the District 8 4A tournament at Mt. Spokane. Gullickson will meet No. 2 Brian Heimbecker of Shadle Park during Monday afternoon’s championships at Mead. Heimbecker outlasted third-seeded Logan Napolsky of Mt. Spokane 6-3, 1-6, 6-4 in the other semifinal. In girls singles at Mead, No. 1 Anna Gullickson of LC advanced to the finals with a 6-2, 7-6 (7-3) win over No. 4 Heather Handwerk of Ferris. Gullickson will vie for the title against third-seeded Vanessa Anderson of Gonzaga Prep, a 7-5, 7-6 (7-4) winner over No. 2 Kasie King of LC. In doubles play, both top-seeded teams qualified for Monday’s finals and will meet third-seeded teams that tripped up second seeds. No. 1 Mike and Matt Dorr of Mt. Spokane will play Chris Poppy and Matt Schaff in the title match. Mead’s Desarea Chessar and Leah Vaughn, seeded No. 1, will tackle in LC’s Natalie Cholaj and Elise Otto in the final.
• Clarkston athletes swept the doubles titles during the District 8 3A tournament at West Valley. Allen Tucker and Jason Curtis of the Bantams topped Cheney’s Jason Passey and Jesse Gibb 6-4, 6-2 in the boys final. Clarkston’s Jennifer Pfeifer and Dayla Turnbow won the girls crown with a 7-6 (7-1), 6-4 win over Cheney’s Jenna Donnerberg and Marina Gresham. All championship participants qualified for next weekend’s 3A regional tournament at Sunnyside High.