Quick hits
GSL softball winds up
The Greater Spokane League softball season enters the home stretch today, with most teams having three games left.
Barring a couple of huge upsets, Shadle Park will claim its second consecutive league title, but the true battle is for second place – and the No. 2 seed into next weekend’s District 8 4A playoffs.
University is 14-2 in GSL play, one game ahead of district rival Central Valley. If both win out, their Monday matchup at CV could mean one of two things – a U-Hi win, giving the Titans second place, or a CV win, meaning a tie for second and forcing a Tuesday game for district seeding.
The six 4A district participants are already set – the three above plus Rogers, Mt. Spokane and Mead. On the 3A side, North Central and Clarkston are in, with Cheney, East Valley and West Valley vying for the final two spots. The 4A playoffs are next Thursday, Friday and May 16 at Whitworth College. The 3A will be played May 13 at Franklin Park.
On the track
Twelve teams are attending the 22nd – and final – Strandberg Invitational at Central Valley Saturday. The meet, which begins at 11:50 a.m., has battled to get elite area athletes in recent years after the Greater Spokane League changed its format to include a championship meet. Caught between the championships and districts, many bigger schools pass on sending their top athletes to the meet. The Strandberg was once a showcase meet that allowed small-school athletes a chance to compete against the area’s best big schools. This year’s meet includes 4A to B teams from Moses Lake to Moscow.
“Great Northern League track titles will be determined today when Lakeside (Nine Mile Falls) goes to Pullman. The boys and girls teams for both are 5-0.
Around the leagues
Great Northern: It’s coming down to the final weekend in baseball, as they’ll decide who gets the top two seeds into the district tournament. Those are important, because those two teams avoid the single-elimination first round. As of Tuesday, Pullman (10-4), Lakeside (11-5) and Medical Lake (11-5) were tied atop the league, and Colville (10-6) also had a chance to sneak into the top two. They all play Friday, with Pullman at Medical Lake for a doubleheader and Colville at Lakeside for two. … Colville has a three-game lead in the GNL softball standings with four games remaining … Pullman is the top seed for the district boys soccer tournament, and the Greyhounds and Riverside will have byes into the semifinals. Tuesday’s first round will feature the No. 3 seed (either Deer Park or Lakeside) hosting No. 6 seed Colville and the No. 5 seed (probably Medical Lake) at the No. 4, either Deer Park or Lakeside.
Northeast A: Colfax’s doubleheader sweep of Kettle Falls Saturday put three teams atop the softball standings: Colfax (4-2), Freeman (5-3) and Kettle Falls (5-3). The latter two teams square off Saturday at Freeman for a noon doubleheader. Colfax hosts Newport (0-6) today at 2 p.m. … Things are almost as tight in baseball, as Newport (8-0) is only a half-game ahead of Colfax (7-0). The two play what will be the league-deciding doubleheader today at Colfax at 2 p.m.
Bi-County: Lind-Ritzville baseball just needs to split a doubleheader against Odessa Saturday to win the league title, but the softball champion will still take some figuring out. Odessa and Davenport both have one league loss, and Odessa has three to play and Davenport four games remaining.
Panorama: The Panorama League tournaments are this week, with baseball Monday in Kettle Falls. Northport and St. George’s will play for the 1 and 2 seeds to the district tournament, while a four-team tournament will decide the other two teams into districts. That tournament begins with No. 3 Republic vs. No. 6 Columbia and Springdale playing St. Michael’s, with the winner of their Friday matchup the No. 4 seed and the loser the No. 5 seed. … In softball, the tourney is a two-day affair, running Tuesday and Saturday. Eight teams get in, but the top two seeds get byes until Saturday. Those two teams will be some combination of Inchelium, Selkirk and Curlew.
Whitman County: This weekend marks the end of the regular season for WCL baseball and softball. The weekend’s marquee baseball matchup features Colton hosting LaCrosse-Washtucna in a Saturday doubleheader. … The softball race should go down to the wire, with Colton, Garfield-Palouse and Tekoa-Oakesdale/Rosalia all in the hunt. T-O/R will face St. John-Endicott in St. John on Saturday, while Gar-Pal travels to Asotin.