State slowpitch preview: Trio of Greater Spokane League teams head to Yakima dreaming of trophies

The state slowpitch tournaments start Friday at Gateway Sports Complex in Yakima. Three Greater Spokane League teams qualified out of the District 8 tournaments to compete for the state championship.

4A

Central Valley lost to Chiawana 3-0 in the district title game but bounced back to beat Lewis and Clark 7-6 in the second-place game last Friday to punch its ticket to Yakima. After LC tied the score in the top of the seventh inning, sophomore Cora Donley singled home Ella Bendele from second base, pushing the Bears (12-9) into the state tournament.

Bendele, Shiloh McCoy and Sofia Morales have been offensive leaders for CV this season.

The Bears enter state as the No. 7 seed and face second-seeded Union (16-3), the District 4 champions, at noon Friday.

The winner advances to a semifinal at 4 p.m. and the loser drops into the third-place bracket.

3A/2A

Senior Abby Watkins finished 4 for 4 with three home runs and six RBIs as visiting University beat Mt. Spokane 12-5 for the District 8 3A/2A championship last Friday. The win earned U-Hi the top seed in the state bracket, and the Wildcats advanced as No. 2. The teams are ranked Nos. 1 and 2 in the state RPI.

Watkins, Maliyah Mann and Kaidyn Howard were all main cogs this season for the Titans, who have a strong supporting cast.

U-Hi (19-2) faces No. 8 seed Roosevelt (9-5), the District 1/2 third-place team, in a first-round game at 10 a.m.

The winner moves to a semifinal at 2 p.m. and the loser drops into the third-place bracket.

Mt. Spokane (17-2) has been sparked by sisters Cassie and Addison Jay and sophomore Makenzie Morris.

The second-seeded Wildcats take on seventh-seeded Evergreen (Vancouver) (10-8), the District 4 runners-up, at 10 a.m.