Wildcats keep NC from state

Delaney Zalud drove in three runs with a pair of hits and scored three times to guide the Mt. Spokane Wildcats (14-12) to a 12-3 victory over the North Central Indians (14-10) in a 3A regional winner-to-state, loser-out game Saturday at Central Valley High School.

Zalud also pitched and allowed three runs on eight hits in going the distance as the Wildcats earned the region’s No. 2 seed to state.

Mt. Spokane began the day with a 6-1 loser-out victory over East Valley (7-15) with Zalud firing a complete-game one-hitter with 13 strikeouts.

In the other opener, Hanford scored three first-inning runs and held on for a 4-3 loser-out victory over Shadle Park.

In the third game, West Valley (Yakima) beat Mt. Spokane 4-2 led by Whitney Biehl’s two-out, two-run double in the fourth.

WVY followed a 7-0 win over NC in a winner-to-state game. WVY earned the top seed with the win.

NC opened the day with a 10-4 victory over the Hanford Falcons. The Indians erased a 2-1 deficit with a six-run fifth.

District 7 2A

Leanna Carr drove in a pair of runs and Alison Holst had two doubles among her three hits with an RBI to propel the Colville Indians (18-1) to a 13-2 five-inning victory over the Cheney Blackhawks in the title game at Whitworth University.

Heather Bishop added two hits and an RBI for Colville, which earned the No. 1 seed to state. Cheney (11-11) settled for the No. 2 seed.

The Pullman Greyhounds (12-10) grabbed the third and final seed with a pair of victories.

Kaycee Perisho tossed a complete-game four-hitter and singled in Amy Sterk – who reached base on a triple – in the fourth as Pullman blanked the West Valley Eagles 2-0 in a loser-out game. WV’s Rachel Meagley struck out 17.

The Greyhounds followed that with a 9-5 extra-inning victory over the Clarkston Bantams (11-10) – scoring four runs in the top of the eighth.

District 7 1A

Savannah Rolston hit a two-run home run and Lauren Gerty drove in three runs to power the Lakeside Eagles (20-2) to an 11-6 victory over the Freeman Scotties at West Valley HS.

Vanessa Ahrendt struck out 13 in helping the Eagles earn the No. 1 seed to state.

Freeman (16-6) advanced to play Lakeside after opening with a 14-8 win over the Chewelah Cougars (10-10).

The Cougars battled back and defeated Kettle Falls 14-4 to earn a rematch with Freeman for the second and final state berth.

Stepheney Huguenin struck out eight and went 4 for 4 with two RBIs, while Morgan Berbeck went 3 for 5 with five RBIs to lead Chewelah to a 15-8 victory.

District 7 2B

The Colfax Bulldogs won three games to earn the top seed to state in the tournament at Franklin Park.

Colfax (18-3) opened with a 15-3 five-inning win over the Republic Tigers (11-11). The Bulldogs followed with an 18-4 five-inning romp over Springdale (19-1).

Colfax rode the arm of Amy Hickman to its third win of the day by scoring six runs in the fifth to rally from a three-run deficit en route to an 8-4 title-game win over the Davenport Gorillas (19-2). Davenport is the No. 2 seed to state.

Springdale grabbed the No. 3 seed to state by blanking Selkirk (16-10) 2-0.

District 9 1B

The Colton Wildcats (10-4) eked out a 7-6 victory over the Touchet Cardinals in the title game at Medical Lake.

The Wildcats head to state as the top seed. Touchet is No. 2.

Cusick (8-13) scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth to rally for a 6-5 win over Almira/Coulee-Hartline (12-6) to earn the No. 3 seed to state. ACH heads to state seeded fourth.