Highlanders outlast Wildcats for district softball title

Meg Keenan revealed that in tense situations her body starts shaking. Hard to believe considering the poise she showed when hitting a screaming double to the left-center field fence for a run that proved the winner in Shadle Park’s 6-5 victory over Mt. Spokane.

Victory secured the 3A District fastpitch softball championship to go with its Greater Spokane League title.

Staked to a seemingly comfortable 4-0 lead after three innings, it became nail-biting time after the Wildcats mounted a spirited comeback.

Keenan’s double put the Highlanders up 6-4, but Mt. Spokane had the tying run at second base following Kyla Stern’s two-out double to right field cut the lead to a single run again. Highlanders pitcher Jaya Allen’s seventh strikeout allowed a sigh of relief.

Shadle (17-3) will play the number one team from the Mid-Columbia Conference for a berth at state next week. Mt. Spokane (15-7) plays a game between league number two teams needing two wins in order to move on.

“The Kamiakin coach was in the stands so I’m assuming it’s them,” coach Guy Perham said of his prospective foe.

This was an entertaining game, played at University which also is the site of next weekend’s tournament.

The Highlanders’ three-hit, three-run third inning appeared to have settled the issue. The team had a four-run advantage and had compiled six hits while the Wildcats were hitless, scoreless and had only one base runner.

Looks proved deceiving. In the top of the fourth a one-out error opened the floodgates for the Wildcats who had three successive hits, including Stern’s two-run double, three runs and turned it into a game.

Shadle added a run in the fourth, Mt. Spokane countered in the top of the fifth closing to within a run again.

Number three hitter Leslie Jones led off the sixth with her second single.

“I was looking for a certain pitch and I was happy to get it,” Jones said.

With one out, Keenan delivered the decisive blow.

“It was inside and down the middle and I was looking to drive it,” said the freshman third baseman. She said she was shaking at the plate, but more so in the field. “I get nervous when it comes down to the final stretch.”

After winning 9-5 and 7-4 during the regular season, Perham said it was natural that winning a third time would be difficult.

“When you play somebody that often, there’s no mystery,” he said. “It’s going to come down to an interesting game.”

Shadle found a way.