Cushner leads Highlanders

Shadle Park started the post-Samantha Skillingstad Era with a lot of offense, defeating host North Central 7-2 in a Greater Spokane League softball game Thursday afternoon.

Haylee Cushner replaced the graduated star pitcher and scattered five hits and got a key two-run single from Danielle Lynn.

Elsewhere, EV (1-1) scored three runs in the fifth inning and Tiffany Lucas struck out 11 in a 3-0 win at Ferris. Erika Santa Rosa struck out 14 for the Saxons. … Two wild pitches, a walk and a RBI single by Bre Lookabill plated runs in a four-run sixth inning as Mead defeated visiting Gonzaga Prep 6-1. Bullpups freshman pitcher Julia Rambo had a mixed debut with 11 strikeouts and 11 walks. … At University, Ashley Moon went 3 for 3 with two doubles and two RBIs and Shaina Marvel had two hits, including a triple, and three RBIs as the Titans rolled past Rogers 14-2. … Alyssa Erickson drove in two runs with a bases-loaded single in a three-run sixth to lift Central Valley to a 5-2 win over visiting Lewis and Clark. The Tigers had tied the game with a run off Erickson, who allowed four hits, in the top of the inning. Gen Aman went 3 for 4 and scored twice for the Bears (2-0).

Baseball

The GSL began with a bang – D ane Berg hit a grand slam home run to spark Central Valley to an 18-1 romp past visiting Rogers. Joe Arlt struck out 10 and gave no runs in pitching the first four innings for the Bears. … Lewis and Clark won 6-2 at Ferris. … Aaron Awberry had three hits, scored three runs and stole a base in addition to going five innings for the win as East Valley won 13-2 at North Central. Teammates Joey Rocco and Jake Pugsley also had three hits apiece and drove in two runs.

Boys soccer

Petra Lee scored off a cross from Dan Melvin to tie the game in the 70th minute and Medical Lake kept rolling in a shootout for a 2-1 win over visiting Colville in Great Northern League match. After the late goal the Cardinals won the shootout 3-0 with goals from John Daniels, Joel Linafelter and Lee. The Indians took a 1-0 lead at 2 minutes when Gavin Wachtel scored from 35 yards. … Xavier Day sent a perfect pass to Tyler Olson for a tap-in goal in the 61st minute for the only goal as Cheney (2-0) edged visiting West Valley (1-1). … Austin Durfee and Jordan Semanko scored two goals apiece as Clarkston won 5-1 at Deer Park. Durfee also had an assist.

•In a GSL game, Jake Hess scored two goals and Richard Martinez had three assists as North Central swamped visiting Rogers 7-0.

Track and field

The Eastmont girls and West Valley boys raced to big wins in a track meet at WV that included East Valley and Riverside.

Eastmont’s girls piled up 114 points to 72 for WV. Bri Almy of West Valley won the 100 meters and long jump.

WV’s boys had 123 points to outdistance East Valley, which had 68. WV’s double winners were David Gilman in the 100 meters (10.9 seconds) and 200 (22.7); Justin Degenhardt won the 800 and 1,600; and Brian Haffner took both hurdles. Zach Ames of East Valley won the javelin at 174 feet.

College basketball

Two scoring droughts early in both halves proved costly as the Lewis-Clark State women lost to Cumberlands 76-54 in the opening round of the NAIA national tournament in Jackson, Tenn. The Patriots ran off 18 straight points early in the first half for a 23-6 lead. After the Warriors (23-8) fought back to 38-30 at halftime, an 11-0 surge for a 56-34 lead clinched it for Cumberlands. Senior Sadie Short led LCSC with 12 points.

Swimming

Whitworth junior Natalie Turner finished eighth in the 200-yard freestyle at the NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships in Minneapolis. Turner has scored eight times in eight career races at the NCAA championships. Turner, who qualified for the finals in eighth, had a time of 1:51.15.