Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Pullman Patriots advance to State playoffs

The Pullman Patriots clinched a state tournament berth with a 10-0 victory over the Spokane Cannons in Sunday’s championship game of the American Legion AAA District playoffs at Jackson Field.

At the end of five innings the scoreboard showed a 10-0 score while the home book showed a score of 9-0. The umpire, who sided with the press box, called the game based on the 10-run rule which earned the Patriots their first state berth since 1968.

Pullman’s Jameson Maj allowed two hits and struck out seven and teammate Aaron Kromm went 3 for 4 with three RBI singles. Kyle Hinrichs also went 3 for 4 with three RBIs, including an RBI double in the fifth. Rick Templeton scored four runs. He and teammate Hunter Simpson had two hits each.

Mike Marlow and Drew Wells posted the Cannons only hits of the game.

The Patriots (31-18) advance to the State Legion tournament in Yakima. Play opens Saturday at 4 p.m. at Yakima’s Parker Field.

•In Junior American Legion AA District playoffs, Shadle Park and East Valley join host teams Mead and Central Valley in the State tournament that starts July 31.

Motorcycling

Wyatt Anderson recently captured the 50cc state title at the 2004 American Motorcyclist Association West Coast Championship in Lodi, Calif., and placed seventh overall at the National AMA, held in Springfield, Ill., in 50cc senior.

Not bad for an eight-year-old soon-to-be third grader.

Anderson, a Colbert Elementary student, began racing at the age of four and has been racing on flat track motorcycles ever since. Track sizes range from one-tenth to one-half mile which Anderson races at speeds comparable to freeway speeds of 65-70 mph.

His short, but accomplished career includes a State and West Coast 50cc title and seventh place at Nationals. Anderson also was the Washington State 50cc Champion in 2003 and the Spokane 50cc B class Champion in 2002.

Track

The Spokane Mercury Athletic Club will send eight athletes to the USA Track and Field Junior Olympics national meet in Eugene, Ore., July 27-Aug. 1.

All eight competitors qualified for the national meet at the regional meet in West Seattle earlier in July. The top three finishers in each event qualified for nationals.

Collin Overbay (10 and under) qualified in the high jump (PR 4-1 1/4 ), shot put (23 feet, 1 inch) and triathlon (574 points). He finished first at regionals in all three events.

Melissa Inouye (10U) took second at regionals in the 1,500-meter run (6:35.87) and also qualified in the 1,500-meter race walk (11:49.34). Her sister, Stephanie Inouye (13-14) won the 3,000-meter race walk (22:00.71).

Justin Graff (13-14) won the javelin with a toss of 145-8. Callie Runkel (13-14) took second in the 200-meter hurdles (30.96) and won the pentathlon (2,428 points). Leigh Fredrickson (17-18) won the 1,500 meters (5:31.19) and the 2,000-meter steeplechase (8:17.01), but will concentrate on the steeplechase at nationals.

Kelton Peterson-Allen (15-16) took third in the long jump at 18-6. Bryan Braman (17-18) finished first in the high jump (6-8) and second in the javelin (180-9).

In addition, three Spokane Mercury athletes qualified for and will compete at the Track City International Classic in Eugene, Ore. Katie Reidy (13-14) qualified in the 800 meters (2:30.08) and the 1,500 meters (5:17.16). Steven Kutsch (13-14) qualified in the 1,500 meters (4:51.43) and the 3,000 meters (10:30.06). His brother, Ryan Kutsch (10U), qualified in the 100 meters (15.45) and the long jump (11-0).

The Spokane Mercury coaches are Curt Ransford, head coach; Karen Miller, throws; Charlie Jenkins, high jump; Stephanie Jaross, high jump; Willie Green, sprints, jumps; Steve Kutsch, jumps; Rick Riley, distance; Holly Weiler, distance; and Chris Berthoff, hurdles.

•Ferris High graduate Mike Quackenbush narrowly won the 5 kilometer boy’s race at the East-West All-Star Cross Country Race at Fort Steilacoom State Park on Sunday.

Quackenbush, who will run for the University of Portland this fall, edged South Kitsap’s Drew Polley by one second to win the 5k race in 16 minutes. He place eighth State 4A cross country meet last fall for state champion Saxons.

Softball

The Spokane Extreme and Northwest Wildfire finished one-two during the 18U Western Regional fastpitch softball tournament this past weekend in Oregon.

The two local select teams were the only ones to reach the finals of the double-elimination tourney undefeated, the Extreme winning 6-4. Northwest Wildfire, with players from Spokane and Idaho, bounced back to eliminate Oregon state champion Forest Grove and forced a second championship game with a 9-5 win over the Extreme.

In the decider, Extreme won 5-3 in extra innings on an RBI double by Medical Lake’s Charlotte Psick. West Valley’s Morgan Thomsen had three of the Wildfire’s four hits.

The Western regional champions won three games on Saturday, including a 2-0 win over the Canby Wildcats on Colville pitcher Melissa Rice’s 18-strikeout, two-hitter.

Aimee Fitting and Julie Andrews were offensives standouts and tourney additions Kellie Karstens (Mt. Spokane) and Katie Nauert (Central Valley) also provided clutch hits and defense.

Wrestling

At the ASIC Greco-Roman Junior National Championships held in Fargo, North Dakota, 982 participants from 42 states competed in the Cadet Division (14-15 years old) where University High’s 98-pound Brian Owen won the national title with a 9-0 record in the tournament, beating defending national champion Matthew Kyler of Pennsylvania 5-1 in the finals.

Gonzaga Prep’s Michael Magee won one match and lost two in the heavyweight class. Prep’s 135-pounder Gabe Ahl also won one and lost two. At 125 pounds, Lucas Chesher of Central Valley placed seventh, becoming CV’s All-American wrestler.