WV, EV matchups ahead
West Valley (2-0), coming off a week’s hiatus, beat Lewis and Clark on Tuesday and set up away and home Greater Spokane League high school baseball showdowns today and Friday with East Valley.
Offensive execution lacked, but Eagle pitcher Alex Stanley was stingy during the 3-1 victory over the Tigers.
“It was nice to not play well and win,” said coach Don O’Neal. “I’m frustrated right now with our bats and it’s a trend where we’re hoping, with a couple of runs, our pitchers give us a chance to win. But we’re hoping we don’t have to count on that.”
Poor base running by both sides kept this game a pitching duel – Stanley scattering five hits and striking out six. WV profited the most by Tiger lapses.
“It was kind of feast or famine on the base paths,” said O’Neal. “If we had not done good things we would have lost. Because of the bad things we ran ourselves out of a lot of stuff.”
The Eagles scratched out a first-inning run, scored in the third on a hit batsman and throwing error, and in the fifth on a bunt single, double steal and throwing mistake.
Three times WV ran itself out of a run or got picked off bases. But then LC did so a couple of times leaving coaches of both teams muttering to themselves.
East Valley (2-2) set up today’s meeting between Class 3A playoff aspirants with a 14-4 romp past Cheney. Mark Lengyel hit three doubles and drove in for runs and Tanner Hamilton homered.
Hamilton went 2-for-3 and drove in two runs last Friday during a 6-4 loss to Central Valley.
It was a reversal of fortune for the Bears (3-1) who had lost by two runs to EV the day before.
CV had two hits each by Josh Soltan, who doubled and drove in two runs, and Zach Malone.
The Bears rallied for three fifth-inning runs and Dane Knudson pitched two shutout innings of relief for the victory.
Knudson, on Tuesday, pitched the Bears past previously unbeaten Clarkston 3-2. They share third place behind University and West Valley with three other teams and face one of them, Mead, on Thursday and Friday.
The Titans (4-0) completed a sweep of Shadle Park Friday, 8-6 in eight innings and on Tuesday rallied past longtime nemesis Rogers 7-6.
Nick Burger led off the decisive inning against the Highlanders with his third hit of the game and later scored on a sacrifice. Adam Smith and Travis Lewis each had two hits. Smith tripled in the seventh inning and scored on a passed ball to be Rogers.
Ken Van Sickle doubled twice and drove in two runs.
Defense and opportunity
Defense and an opportune shot put East Valley alone atop Greater Spokane League high school soccer last Friday.
The Knights beat Mead 1-0 to join Central Valley at 4-0 in league, but the Bears’ shootout victory over Cheney last Wednesday left them a point behind EV.
There was no need for overtime or a shootout when Ben Funkhouser drilled a shot into the goal from near the top of the 18-yard box, 27 minutes into its home match with Mead.
He booted the winner from a throw-in by Josh Polello who was also the game’s defensive difference maker with his foot.
Time and again during the match, and pointedly during the second half, Polello thwarted the Panthers. He’d clear an attack with long, time-eating kicks that boomed deep into Mead’s end of the field.
East Valley had the better part of the offense during the first half with several shots keeping Panthers keeper Jason Gass active.
With Polello doing his defensive job and Josh Peck punching one of only two Mead shots on goal out of harm’s way, the Knights handed the Panthers their first loss of the year.
CV got three goals each from senior Jay Vela and freshman Brandon Stevens and a goal and two assists by Jesse Dunbar to beat Rogers 9-0 and keep pace.
The Bears are at Mead on Friday.
University (2-2) blanked winless West Valley 8-0, Keith Realing also with the hat trick, while adding two assists.
West Valley remains winless, Neil Bachman has half of the Eagles’ four league goals. WV beat Lakeside 5-4 in a nonleague match on Monday, Bachman and freshman Bryer Reynolds had a pair of goals apiece.
Close calls not enough
East Valley’s softball team has had several close games during a bumpy GSL ride, but little success to show for it.
The Knights (1-5) have beaten only Cheney, 7-4, but among their losses were 8-6 to Clarkston and 7-4 last Friday to state veteran North Central. In a Monday makeup game, the Knights were beaten 18-8 by Gonzaga Prep and on Tuesday lost 12-0 to Central Valley.
Both Danica Hanley and Allie Burger had six hits in their most recent three games. They each had three against the Indians and two against the Bullpups.
Both of Hanley’s were home runs as she drove in five of EV’s eight. She also doubled against NC.
University (5-0) remained tied with Shadle Park for first place following Tuesday’s 10-0 shutout over Ferris. Riki Schiermeister allowed three hits as pitcher and equaled that at bat, including a home run.
The Titans lost 3-2 to W.F. West during a showcase weekend of games between top state programs at the University of Washington.
U-Hi got two hits each by Schiermeister and Ashley Fargher, including Fargher’s double, and scored twice in the fifth to tie the game, but W.F. West scored in the bottom of the seventh for the win.
Mickenzie Alden maintained a hot bat as Central Valley (4-2) blanked West Valley (1-3) 17-0 last Friday and the Knights. She had three hits, including a double and triple, and drove in five runs against WV. Stefani Siddoway had four hits in the two games.
GSL golf begins
The GSL golf season began with Central Valley and University boys finishing fourth and fifth and the CV girls fourth in a match in Clarkston.
Bear Nick Grigsby tied for second at 73, a stroke off the lead at the Clarkston Country Club. U-Hi’s Matt Mathison shot 76 and Hank Frame 78 to finish among the top 11.
In the girls meet, CV’s Katie Sorenson shot 81 to tie for fourth and Nicole Barham was sixth at 82. East Valley’s Ashley Saffle shot 83 for seventh.
Softball registration
Spokane Valley Girls Softball Association open registration begins Saturday and runs through April 30.
Registration forms are available at the Softball Office, 12505 E. Sprague Ave., Evergreen Pet, 14319 E. Sprague, Ave., Big R at 8325 E. Trent Ave., and Treasure Aisles Video, 4707 N. Harvard Road in Otis Orchards.
Costs are $40 for players 8 and younger, $50 for ages 9-13 and $60 for ages 14 and older.
Office hours in April are Wednesdays 6-8 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m.-2 p.m. But forms can be filled out and returned to the softball office through a drop-slot in the door on the west side of the Sports Creel building, or mailed to P.O. Box 883, Veradale, WA 99037.
A copy of a player’s birth certificate must be included for first-time players.
Spokane Valley Girls Softball is a nonprofit organization, run by volunteers, for girls ages 5-18. Games are played during the summer at the East Valley Middle School complex at Sullivan and Wellesley.
Sponsorships and volunteers are welcomed. Call 922-3979 for information.