Pecka pokes homer in Mead’s softball win

Mead needed a pick-me-up and junior center fielder Jill Pecka provided one in the Panthers’ 7-3 victory at Central Valley Thursday afternoon in Greater Spokane League softball.

Swinging at the first pitch, Pecka clubbed a three-run homer in the second inning for a 3-1 lead. Mead (3-1) nursed it into the seventh inning before adding four insurance runs to hand the Bears (2-1) their first loss.

“We gained a little confidence,” coach John Barrington said of victory, which came on the heels of last Friday’s 15-5 loss at Shadle Park.

Barrington said the team had expectations of picking up where it left off last year.

“But we’re not that team,” he said. “We have lots of new kids. They were pressing to do well. Today they were playing really relaxed and had fun and that’s going to be our focus.”

CV took a 1-0 lead after an inning on Alyssa Erickson’s single. But Mead put two runners on with two outs in the second before leadoff batter Pecka swung at a ball up and in and rode it over the left-field fence.

“I struck out at Shadle on an inside pitch and thought, ‘You know, I’m going to take every pitch I could get’ and was just swinging,” she said. “I didn’t think it was going out.”

CV hit four successive singles in the third inning but scored only one other run.

The score remained 3-2 until the seventh. Britney Miller led off with a triple and scored on a squeeze bunt.

The Panthers added three more runs on hits by Breanna Lookabill and Taneesha Pounder, who doubled.

Pitcher Alisha Mead allowed 10 hits – CV leadoff hitter Gen Aman had three and a brilliant catch in center to save a run – but was able to pitch out of trouble.

Mead hosts lone league unbeaten University today, lending import to the victory at CV.

“I think we have a tendency to get down on ourselves after a bad play and we can’t do that. But you are the hardest person on yourself,” Pecka said.

“This was definitely a pick-me-up.”

Also in the GSL: Two games went to extra innings. Ferris (3-2) won its third straight, 4-2 over host Lewis and Clark (2-2) in nine at Hart Field. Iman Gary singled in Cassie Wendt and Nicole Nelson, who had reached on base hits. … East Valley (3-2) won a pitchers’ duel 2-1 in eight innings over visiting Mt. Spokane (2-2). Justine Simpson drove in Morgan Manchester with the winning run. EV freshman Tiffany Lucas struck out 13 and Mt. Spokane’s Delaney Zalud fanned 18. Each allowed seven hits. … North Central (1-4) broke into the win column, 8-5 over visiting Rogers (0-4). Sheyenne Delarosa’s two-run first-inning double set the tone. … The Gonzaga Prep at Shadle Park game was postponed and will be made up April 8.

Intermountain League: Timberlake rode Afton Allred’s 11-strikeout, two-hitter for a 9-0 win over host St. Maries. Halee Edelblute hit an RBI triple and Tasha Palmer an RBI double.

Baseball

Greater Spokane League: Joe Arlt drove in one of Central Valley’s four first-inning runs and pitched five shutout innings as the host Bears (4-0) defeated Lewis and Clark (1-3) 4-2 to sweep their two-day series. … Tyler Hickman hit a three-run double in the second inning and John Rapose did the rest on the mound as University (4-0) remained tied for first with its 5-2 home win over Ferris (1-3). … Mead (2-0) scored 37 runs during home-and-home wins over Rogers (0-4), including Thursday’s 19-4 road win. Grant Fink went the distance and Seth Peterson hit a three-run first-inning home run to rally the Panthers from an early deficit. Rogers’ Jacob Partridge was 3 for 3 with two doubles and two RBIs. … Gonzaga Prep (1-3) took advantage of five errors for a 10-2 win at Mt. Spokane (1-3). Galen Duff pitched six innings and struck out eight. David Machtolf hit a two-run single during a five-run fifth inning. Nate Blackham was 3 for 4 for the Wildcats. … North Central (1-2) came from behind for a 10-4 win at Shadle Park (2-1). Ryan Eckersley and Ryan Ryser each had three hits. Ryser hit two doubles.

Boys soccer

Great Northern League: Cheney, unbeaten and unscored upon in the league, blanked host Riverside (0-3) 2-0 and improved to 4-0. Paul Holloway scored at the 22-minute mark on a direct kick and Sam Sill added insurance in the second half on a through ball from Austin Walker. … West Valley (3-1) won its third 2-1 GNL decision, this time at Colville (0-2). Usamah El-Bakkush scored the initial Eagles goal. After the Indians’ James Jackson tied the match 2 minutes into the second half, Kyle Thormen tallied the winner 5 minutes later. … In a 3-2 shootout, Deer Park (1-3) upset host Medical Lake (3-1). The Stags took a 2-0 halftime lead, but Petra Lee tied the match with 5 minutes remaining. Deer Park had a 4-3 shootout advantage on penalty-kick goals by Justin Howerton, Jared Attridge, Jacob Richards and James Calamia. … Pullman (2-1) won 3-1 in Clarkston (1-2). Malta Lang had two goals and an assist.

Track and field

Christina Finney Relays: Post Falls’ girls and Lewiston’s boys won close team competitions during the relays in Post Falls. The PF Trojans won 134.6-126 over Coeur d’Alene and Lewiston won 129.5-127.5 over Lake City. Kinsey Gomez of Coeur d’Alene won the girls 800- and 1,600-meter races, the latter in 5 minutes, 16.12 seconds. Camille Reynolds of Lakeland won the 100 meters and 300 hurdles and was on one of two Hawks relay wins. Lewiston’s Chris Chesnut won the two short dashes and ran on 400 and 1,600 relay wins.

•Colville Invitational: Isaak Hamilton won both dashes and Luke Mathews the long and triple jumps as Freeman won the boys title with 205 points. Sara Lentz won the shot put, discus and javelin for host Colville as its girls won with 172 points.