Twists in Midget League

Spokane Valley Baseball took a turn last week, particularly in the Midget League where teams are not separated by much.

Previous leader River City Pizza suffered a couple of narrow losses, including a 6-5 loss to Intermountain Fabricators (4-1) that left the South Pines Elementary team tied with Brad DeCounter DDS (Pasadena Park) for the lead through July 3.

Intermountain trailed 5-2 but scored four runs in the top of the sixth inning for the win.

Among last week’s highlights during the rain-shortened two days, Alec Grebe and Ryan Weiler benefited from good defense, including a major catch in centerfield by Dylan Wilson, and Grocery Outlet edged Cascade Controls 5-4. Cascade’s Dan Bahr struck out seven and allowed two hits in his pitching debut.

Autocraft’s Josh Quartaro had three hits, scored four runs and earned a save pitching in Autocraft’s 11-7 win over Summit.

Pee Wee League leader Spokane Athletic Supply improved to 6-0; four other teams are right behind with five wins apiece. Austin Stevens was 5-for-5, and Daniel Wee 4-for-4 with two home runs each during a 30-run outburst in one win. Four players – Stevens, Wee, Chad Whelan and Michael Chan – combined to go a perfect 14-for-14. Hunter Liberg was 3-for-4 with a homer and a triple and struck out nine in three innings of pitching.

Chan and Gunnar Cebriak divided 16 strikeouts over six innings in another victory for the Pasadena Park team. Stevens had another 5-for-5 effort with a home run and seven runs batted in.

McDonald’s (5-1) outscored two foes 61-2 and is a game behind the Pee Wee leaders. Brady Sanders was 13-for-14 during the two wins with four doubles and a triple. The Liberty Lake team used six different pitchers, including Sanders, who combined for 24 strikeouts in 10 innings of work.

Sammy Anderson, went 8-for-9 with two doubles and five runs scored and Ethan Frazier, was 5-for-7 and hit for the cycle (two singles, a double, triple and home run) in one win. A third , Jaedon Crouch, hit a double, triple and home run in the other game.

Other highlights: Nathan Awberry hit two home runs and drove in six runs for Valley Electric. Brayden Tacke went 3-for-3 and drove in two runs for 5-1 Banner Fuel (Skyview). In another Banner Fuel win Evan Thomason and Lucas Humble combined for 14 strikeouts and Thomason homered and drove in three runs. Dennen Branum hit a grand slam home run for Sterling Self Storage (5-3).

Softball end approaches

Spokane Valley Girls Softball League teams are into their final two or three games of the regular season and the age group standings remain up in the open.

Dairy Queen and Home Run Construction share the 16U lead, and two others are a couple games behind. There’s a tie between Spokane Transfer and Old Country Buffet in 14U where seven teams are with two games of each other.

Unbeaten Baker Construction (7-0) is trailed by four teams with 5-2 records in 12U. In 10U, eight teams have two or fewer losses, led by BNSF (6-1), F&F Foundation (5-1) and Mega Wash (4-1).

It all bodes for a wide-open end-of-season tournament.

During 16U play, Dairy Queen topped BNSF 11-1, Ashley McCarty with nine strikeouts, and Home Run Construction beat Walt’s Mailing 7-3, Keeli Nelson with a double and three runs batted in, to improve to 6-1.

Elsewhere, Victoria Martin had two singles and drove in a pair of runs during a victory on a week where Tri Diamond (5-3) split.

Old Country Buffet (5-1) won twice, 9-6 over Woodcraft and 8-0 over BNSF to tie Spokane Transfer for the 14U lead. Hunter Allen pitched four no-hit innings in the first win and combined with Cheynne Vacderrama for a one-hit shutout in the second. BNSF’s Jessica Mitchell struck out nine batters for the second time during the week.

Spokane Transfer’s Hailey Wesselman and Megan Johnson hit two-run doubles during a 16-6 win over third-place Einstein’s Car Wash (5-2).

Other highlights: Samantha Howard of Ryan Enterprises hit two triples and drove in four runs during a win last week. Commercial Battery split one-run decisions last week, Natalie Hobbs scoring the winner during a 12-11 win over Legend’s Photgraphy. Earlier in the week, Gabbie Patterson of Kim Hotstart knocked in the winner to beat Commercial Battery 11-10.

During 12U competition, Baker Construction won by scores of 24-3 and 15-13, the latter over Jewell Excavating. J.J. Brown of Standard Brothers drove in four runs in one win and Bailey Osborne had three RBIs in another.

Dana Graphics split, losing to Jewell Excavating (4-3) and beating Arby’s 20-10 as Brooke Wayman went 3-for-3. Victoria Libocker went 3-for-3 for Arby’s during its victory last week.

In the 10U Division, Sir Speedy handed BNSF its first loss, 14-12, on Sarah Jacobs’ game-winning hit. Addy Gruber had a three-run single.

Madison Weiler, Toria Clark and Shayden Clark of Mega Wash were all 3-for-3 to beat Summit Electric 10-8. Earlier Mega Wash had tied Greenacres Gypsum, Tyra Martinez with a three-run homer and Clark going 3-for-3 again with a solo blast.

During two games last week, Greenacres Gypsum’s Natalie Cabiad hit a three-run homer, Tiara Lorentz a three-run double and Kristen Birdsell a double and home run.

Courtney Carolan of Evergreen Heating hit two home runs in a game, and Kristen Sowers was 4-for-4 with a triple in another for two one-run victories. Bridgestone’s Madison Dobson and Lydia Martinez each hit two doubles, and Macauley Pearman-Gillman was 3-for-4 with four RBIs in victory.

Women’s golf

Liberty Lake 9-Hole – Darlene Reilly and Pat Thompson both chipped in on the seventh hole and Emma Long on No. 17 during weekly play. Flight winners were Arla Beck with low gross 51 and Nellie Auckerman with net 38 in first. Bette Devine shot 61; Long, Shirley Schoenberger and Carol Maycock netted 38 in second. Wilma Capaul had 69 and Linda Barry 42 in third.

Painted Hills – Monday’s play included a birdie by Debbie Paullin who recorded low gross score for the field with a 48 in B flight. Ellen Spalding, who had low net of the day with 29 in B, had a chip-in on No. 5. Sue Greany won A flight with 51, and Kathy Perry netted 39. Cathy Diehl shot 57 in C flight, and Bette Devine netted 36. Carol Chevalier had 59 in D, and Eleanore Badinger netted 36.

Trailhead at Liberty Lake – During weekly competiton Jeanne Allemand shot 42 to remain atop A flight. Renee Begovich shot 47 in B, and Carol Taylor had 54 in C. Mary Anne Evans in A and Joy Russell in B each netted 30.