Rangers take title in ‘storybook season’

It was fitting that the championship game between two Spokane Valley Baseball Midget League unbeatens took two extra innings to complete.

The game came down to pitching depth and, in its dramatic conclusion, to a two-out wild pitch that scored Armando Garza to give Realty Rangers (14-0) a 4-3 eighth-inning triumph over Gibson’s Nursery (13-1).

“Wow, what a great finish,” said Rangers coach Scott Sutherland, who doubles as University High varsity assistant head coach. “Our kids just wouldn’t stop believing.”

The game was one of three championship contests that capped the Spokane Valley Baseball League season.

In the Giants League, for players age 14 and 13, Valley Electric from Evergreen Junior High upset regular season leader Centennial 16-6 Thursday night for the title.

A day earlier, the Pee Wee League championship was decided in similar fashion to the Midgets – Blasingame Insurance (Pasadena Park) beating Tom’s Barber Shop 3-2 for the title on a two-run single.

Players from Realty Rangers and Tom’s Barber Shop will be teammates at Bowdish Middle School and some already are on a select team in the spring.

Both had won 13 straight games to reach the finals where pitching aces Thomas Wakem and Tyler Crawford squared off. They each threw three shutout innings, striking out seven and allowing a hit.

The Rangers scored in the fourth on Wakem’s double and Logan Wedemeyer‘s RBI ground out.

Gibson’s went up 2-1 in the fifth on a home run by Matt Harper, a single by Eric Palmer and an outfield error. They added a run in the sixth on back-to-back hits by Krew Cunnington and Brogan Bishop.

Realty Rangers were down to their final out of the game with no one on base before forcing extra innings. Michael Barth doubled to start the dramatic rally. Wakem was walked intentionally, and Wedemeyer and Ryan Sutherland followed with RBI hits.

After a scoreless seventh inning and fourth Realty Rangers pitcher Wedemeyer’s successful eighth, an error and two wild pitches produced the game winner.

The lanky Wakem, who walked intentionally twice, is an imposing presence. He hit .791, scored 39 times, drove in 35 runs, including six home runs. He was 5-0 pitching, striking out 54 batters in 23 innings.

Sutherland hit .735 and drove in 35 runs with four homers. Barth, who moved here from California last year, hit .652, and was the team’s number two pitcher with a 3-0 record. Wedemeyer hit .553 and picked up his first win in relief in the title game. Garza batted .513.

“We just had a storybook season,” said Sutherland. “It’s one of those deals if we played them 10 times, they’d beat us seven or eight. It was really gratifying to see the kids come through.”

Team members for the University Elementary-based team were Barth, Garza, Wakem, Wedemeyer, Sutherland, Nash Archer, Dean Borgford, 4-0 pitching, Drew Daly, Henry Holm, Brendan Quinn, Mark Verhaag, Dillon Waybright and Jory Zettle.

Daly wasn’t at the game. He is in Cooperstown with his grandfather for Ryne Sandberg‘s Hall of Fame Induction.

“He told me he’d stay, but I said there was no way,” said Sutherland of the once-in-a-lifetime experience. “I gave him a baseball to get signed.”

Although Valley Electric (11-3) wound up third during the Giants League regular season and were down to nine players for much of the season, their title shouldn’t have been a complete surprise.

Three players, pitcher-shortstop Micah Haslett, catcher Jordan Wilson and first baseman Jeff Hiett were members of last year’s Midget winners from Adams. Two others, third baseman Kyle Riordan and second baseman Taylor Evans played for Sunrise’s Midget winners the previous year.

Other team members were pitcher-shortstop Cameron Moore, outfielders John Lloyd, TJ Potts and Cameron Stiles.

The Evergreen Middle School team pounded out 32 runs in two playoff games and allowed 10. Included was a seven-run third inning against Centennial (11-2-1) in the title game that wiped out a 3-1 deficit.

“Effectively,” said coach Marci Haslett, “Kyle and Taylor really came through in their hitting. They hit quite a few triples and a couple of home runs. They weren’t hitting at the beginning of the season, then all of a sudden took off.”

And when five players left the team early in the season the hardy nine pulled together down the stretch.

“We knew we had to work as a team to get through it,” Haslett said.

There were two outs when Riordan tripled, Evans and Haslett doubled in Valley Electric’s big inning.

Centennial had suffered a blow earlier when coach Jeff Yount‘s son Barry was lost to injury.

“I’m thinking that helped us out a lot,” said Haslett. “He was the best player on their team.”

Blasingame Insurance’s Pee Wee championship was second straight for six players on the Pasadena Park (13-1) team.

They ended the dream of a perfect season for Tom’s Barber Shop (13-1) out of University.

Brady Bergman, Luca Capobianchi, Carson Driskill, Austin Luhn, Alex Preston and Hunter Wells all played for last year’s title winning team.

Brandon Borg, Connor Butner, Ryan Fay, Jay Ivins, Chris Myers, Corey Spalding and Gabriel Sullens rounded out coach Doug Meyers‘ team.

No-handicap golfer on fire

No-handicap newcomer Jeanne Allemand led the way during Painted Hills Ladies League golf for the week of July 25.

Allemand shot 42 for low-gross honors, a couple of strokes better than Carol Blume‘s A flight winner.

Blume shot 44, Lynne Markeson won B flight with 49, Kathy Walker had 54 in C, and Sue Matsui shot 56 in D.

Matsui had a chip-in on the seventh hole. Other chip-ins were by Kathy Perry on No. 2, Sue Walker on No. 8, and Kathy Adams on No. 9.

Cathy Diehl and Kelly Klose both had birdies.

Net winners were Betty Grassl with 35 in A flight, Marian Decker with 31 in B, Mary Liegey with 33 in C, and Cathy Esmay with 27 in D.

T-shirt tourney results

Liberty Lake 18-Hole Women’s Club golfers completed their two-week T-shirt tournament.

First place team finished with a score of 55. Players were Carol Blume, Debbie West, Sue Meyer and Dorothy Womach.

There was a tie for second with 57 between the team of Patty Aunan, Reiko Takamori, Linda Dreyer and Myrna Neubauer and the team of Patsy Lynn, Leslie Dunbar and Marie Nelson, with a blind draw among other players for the fourth scorer.

Medal play at Liberty Lake

Liberty Lake Ladies 9-Hole Club golfers conducted medal play with familiar results.

Karen Strauss won first flight with low gross 50.

Sadie Rueckert and Carol Dahl tied with 61 in second flight. Dahl’s score included a birdie.

Kathy Camyn shot 62 in third flight and Betty Trembly 74 in fourth.

Net winners were Arla Beck with 37 in first flight, Carol Maycock with 36 in second, Sue Matsui with 37 in third, and Alice Vaughn with 48 in fourth.

Trailhead golfers compete

It was Joyce Jacobs‘ turn atop the leader board during weekly Trailhead Ladies Golf Club action.

Jacobs shot 48 in A flight to earn low gross honors. Bev Johnson shot 58 in B, Sandi Hatcher had 60, that included a chip-in, in C and Eileen Couper won no-handicap.

Net winners were

Dee Elder

with 30 in A flight, Sharron Collins with 34 in B and Penny Brace with 30 in C.