CV Bears continue charge
Defense in fastpitch doesn’t just mean not making errors. It also means making plays.
That’s what the Central Valley Bears have been doing this season. Tuesday, they made enough plays with their gloves – and bats – to rally past host North Central 6-3 and cement third place in the Greater Spokane League.
The Bears, 13-3 in GSL play and overall, started the year 0-2. But since then, their only defeat came against league-leading – and undefeated – Shadle Park. Following that 10-1 loss, CV has won eight consecutive games, all in the same manner.
“We knew coming into the season we were going to have to hit the ball well and play good defense to compete,” said coach Jeff VanHorne. “But more than any other year, we’ve come together as a team and we’re playing with confidence, which gets us through any adversity.”
The Bears are using two freshman pitchers and it was Lauren Mandler’s turn in the circle.
Mandler scattered eight Indians (11-5, 11-5) hits in raising her record to 7-1, but the scattering came about because of a big assist from the Bears defense.
“We have young pitchers, so we know we have to make plays to help them stay confident,” catcher Mickenzie Alden said. “We work so hard on our defense, we put so much effort into it, it gives us confidence we can make plays.”
After Alicia Kehler’s RBI single in the first put NC up 1-0, Alden picked a runner off first base in the second, blunting a possible rally. In the fifth, after CV had scored six times in the top of the inning, center fielder Emily Anderson gunned down an NC runner at the plate. An inning later, Anderson ran down a shot in left-center to halt another possible rally.
CV’s offense sputtered but came alive in the fifth, helped by an inning-opening error. When the frame ended, the Bears had sent 10 hitters to the plate – the big hit a two-run triple from Stefani Siddoway – and had built an insurmountable lead.
•In other GSL action, Mead freshman Taneesha Pounder tossed her second one-hitter in her last four starts as the Panthers (9-7, 9-7) routed visiting Cheney, 10-0 in six innings. Alex Cey supplied the offense for Mead with two hits and two RBIs. The Blackhawks dropped to 4-14, 4-13. … Sam Skillingstad raised her record to 17-0 (and had 17 strikeouts) but the host Clarkston Bantams (9-7, 10-7) recorded a season first against the sophomore in Shadle’s 6-1 victory. Clarkston’s Danielle Hutchins’ third-inning RBI double plated the first earned run Skillingstad has yielded this year. Heather Jackson and Tressa Predisik each were 2 for 3 with an RBI for Shadle (17-0, 16-0). … Mandy Mikelson did it in the circle, winning her seventh game, and at the plate, with three hits, three runs and two RBIs, as visiting University topped West Valley 14-5. Kim Loberg had the Eagles’ (2-15, 2-14) only two hits, while Lexi Obenchain and Alyssa Hawley joined Mikelson with three hits for U-Hi (14-3, 14-2). … Host Lewis and Clark (3-13, 3-13) won the battle of the South Hill, 7-2, by rallying for six runs in the bottom of the fifth at Hart Field. Taylor Bemis delivered the big blow, a two-run double. Ferris dropped to 2-15 in league and overall. … Kristina DeMello struck out 14 and Angel Urann hit her fourth home run of the year, a fifth-inning grand slam, as visiting Mt. Spokane (11-5, 11-5) edged Gonzaga Prep (6-11, 6-11) 6-4. … Shannon Carlon was 3 for 4 with three RBIs in support of Mandy Carlon’s five-hit pitching as Rogers (12-5, 11-5) held off host East Valley (4-14, 3-14) 6-4.