Mead Overcomes Shadle, Liezen

Strange game, this baseball business.

Consider Shadle Park pitcher Matt Liezen. At Mead on Tuesday, Liezen gave up just two hits, but lost to the Panthers 5-2 in a matchup of Greater Spokane League teams.

“He (Liezen) pitched a darn good game,” Mead coach Dave Vaughn said.

“He really frustrated us.”

Liezen had a no-hitter after three innings, but Mead led 2-1 at that stage.

Mead trailed 1-0 when Liezen walked Rob Elmer and Adam Morris with two outs. Elmer and Adams advanced to second and third, then Adam Strate lifted what would have been a routine fly ball to left field, had it not been for a stiff wind.

Unfortunately for Shadle, left fielder Nick Bender couldn’t squeeze the ball in his mitt and both runners scored.

Undaunted, the Highlanders bounced back at the top of the fourth to tie the score 2-2. But in the bottom of the fourth, Matt Armitage gave the Panthers the lead for good.

Batting left-handed, Armitage rocketed Mead’s first hit of the day, and his first home run of the season, when he took a 1-0 Liezen fastball the opposite direction against the wind.

“I was shocked when I hit it because I generally don’t go opposite field,” Armitage said.

In his previous at-bat, Armitage was ahead 2-0 in the count when Liezen threw him a fastball. Armitage grounded out in that plate appearance.

“I guessed fastball, and there it was,” Armitage said of pitch he hit for a homer.

Mead pitcher Sam Chimienti gave up just one hit the rest of the way.

The Panthers were the beneficiaries of some slick fielding at shortstop by John Barneson in the fifth. He had all of Mead’s putouts in the inning.

“I’d never seen him (Barneson) play,” Shadle Park coach Ron Brooks said. “I was impressed. I was thoroughly impressed.”

Mead’s win pulled it into a second-place tie with the Highlanders (4-1).

Gonzaga Prep (5-1) sits alone, for now, at the top of the GSL standings. The Bullpups defeated visiting University 6-5.

Trailing 5-2 in the bottom of the sixth, the Bullpups’ Mike Kocharhook led off with a triple. Chris Odenthal followed with an RBI single.

Jay Herrin doubled home Odenthal, then scored on a single by Paul Grief to tie the game.

Brendan McNallen drew a walk, and he and Grief executed a double steal to set up Grief’s delayed steal to the plate for the game-winning run.

The Titans fell to 3-2.

Elsewhere, Ferris beat visiting Lewis and Clark 14-0.

Sophomore Eric Sandberg struck out 16 while surrendering just three hits, and added a 385-foot solo hom run in the third inning.

Ferris moved its record to 3-2, while the Tigers fell to 0-5.

At Seafirst Stadium, Central Valley’s Nate Lynch drove in three runs to help the Bears defeat North Central 10-2.

CV is 3-3, NC is 0-6.

Softball

Mead’s 8-1 win over Shadle, and U-Hi’s 3-2 win over G-Prep set up a showdown between the two undefeated first-place teams at U-Hi on Thursday.

At Mead, Shata Stucky earned her second win of the season, as she and Holly Vanwert combined to scatter five hits against the Highlanders.

Vanwert hit a two-run homer in the fifth, and Holly Turner went 3 for 4 and drove in a run.

Shadle Park’s Tara Buckley was 2 for 3.

Mead moved its record to 5-0, while Shadle fell to 0-5.

As for the Titans (5-0), Elizabeth Madsen’s homer in the bottom of the ninth provided the winning run.

G-Prep is 4-2 on the season.

At NC, freshman Shanelle Test struck out 11 and scattered six hits in the Indians’ 6-2 victory over CV.

NC’s Janessa Karstens had three hits and drove in two runs with a bases-loaded double in the second.

NC is 4-2, CV 3-3.

At Ferris, the Saxons beat LC 24-2.

Ferris’ Jennie Lytle scored four runs and had four RBIs.

Also for Ferris, Brooke Blevins drove in four runs, including three on a homer, and Shannon George hit a grand slam and scored three runs.

Ferris is 1-4, LC 0-5.

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