Prep softball: Kylie Sweeney leads Deer Park in tough Northeast A League

Shadle Park’s softball coaches were chitchatting about area teams recently when one mentioned Class 1A Deer Park’s win over North Central of the Greater Spokane League.

DP junior Kylie Sweeney, who pitched a five-hitter and homered during that 11-0 win at NC, can see why the outcome might have struck GSL coaches as odd.

“I just remember thinking, ‘Why does North Central want to play us? If we win, it’s going to look bad on them and if they win, they’ll just expect that,’ ” Sweeney said. “But I was just really excited that we not only beat them, but 10-runned them.”

In truth, a few NEA teams would give GSL teams fits. First-place Lakeside (Nine Mile Falls), with its big bats; Riverside, behind four-year hurler Keelin Hunt; and Colville, which has played in 13 consecutive state tournaments and joined the 1A ranks this year, make the NEA a huge challenge.

The Deer Park Stags, who played in the Great Northern League with Colville last season and also qualified for the State 2A tournament, are well aware of the NEA’s depth.

“I think for us (the NEA) is a harder league,” said fourth-year Stags coach Desiree Sweeney, no relation to Kylie. “There are a lot of good pitchers here. In all honesty, it’s a stronger league than the 2As are this year.”

The Stags took on GNL champion Cheney (18-2) in a nonleaguer on April 23 and lost 2-0 as Sweeney pitched a four-hitter. It’s the only time that Cheney has scored less than nine runs in a game this season.

The Stags (13-5, 8-4) have succeeded despite having no seniors on their roster.

“We lost a senior shortstop who was a strong leader … and we’ve just had a lot of people step up and really work hard,” Desiree Sweeney said. “We have two freshmen and two sophomores who are playing their first year and six juniors.”

Kylie Sweeney gives the Stags a chance every time they take the field. Sweeney is 11-5 this season with 141 strikeouts and an earned-run average of 1.40.

“This year I started striding out a lot more, because I used to just take a tiny step,” said Sweeney, who started pitching at age 9. “Now I’ve increased the length of my stride. That will give me more velocity and more variety. It makes it easier to spin the ball.”

Sweeney said Colorado Mesa University and the University of Montana have expressed interest in her.

Sweeney, Carlie Durgeloh, Kristina Carlson and Payton Erickson all have hit double figures for runs batted in this season. DP’s batting leaders are: Erickson, .436; Durgeloh, .426; Oliveah Erickson, .382; and Sweeney, .333.

The Stags will attempt to snare one of the NEA’s two berths to state when the District 7 1A tournament begins Tuesday with loser-out games at the Nos. 3 and 4 seeds. State-qualifying games are set for May 23 at league champion Lakeside.

Postseason heats up

Idaho state tournaments are set for Friday and Saturday, including three at area sites.

Coeur d’Alene (23-1) and Lake City (18-7) qualified for the 5A State tourney at Post Falls High School.

The 4A and 3A state tourneys are at Ramsey Park in CdA. Lakeland (8-15) is in the 4A field, while Bonners Ferry and Timberlake (15-11) will compete in the 3A.

Washington teams are still two-plus weeks away from their state tournaments (May 29-30).

The District 7 2A tourney continues Thursday at East Valley and Saturday at No. 1 Cheney for the title game. Both teams in the title game advance to winner-to-state games against Central Washington Athletic Conference teams.

The District 7/9 1B tournament starts Saturday at Medical Lake. Four teams will advance to state.

The District 7 2B tournament concludes Tuesday at Merkel Field with five regional berths on the line.