Defending champs Grocery Outlet hold firm to first place

Defending Spokane Valley Baseball Giants League champion Grocery Outlet has taken up where it left off.

Unbeaten last year, the North Pines team has won its first four games this season to lead the oldest age group division of the league.

The team won 15-3 over Jim Frazier Pro Shop and 10-2 over Focus Marketing for its most recent wins. Horizon II blanked Blasingame Agency 13-0 in another key game that left Grocery Outlet alone in first place.

During other Giants League games last week, Blasingame beat Focus Marketing 13-5, capitalizing on walks and three hits by Cody Role, two of them doubles, for the win. Britton Fijalka and Barry Yount also doubled, and Yount struck out seven and allowed one hit in four innings of pitching. He was perfect throught three innings.

Horizon II beat Freeman 10-3 as Kirk Bighaus and Zach Shulkin were each 3-for-5 with two RBIs.

Midgets: Six teams have one loss each in the league, George Velis DDS sharing the National Division lead with Hurliman Heating and Whalen Chiropractic following its 8-6 win over Hurliman.

A three-run sixth inning decided the game, Cody Canaday with a double and home run to drive in three runs. Grant Mitchell singled and tripled and scored three times, while Robert Ward fanned three batters in the bottom of the last inning. Mitchell also homered and singled, and Canady had two hits as Velis won two other games last week.

Hurliman won three times last week, over Whalen Chiropractic 8-6 getting 15 strikeouts from Colby Faulkes and Brady Hoyems. Alex Hurst had eight hits during the three wins and scored seven runs.

In other games, Joey Lawrence of American co-leader Spokane County Deputy Sheriff’s Association pitched three one-hit innings and struck out five, and had two doubles in a win over Pepsi. He fanned eight and pitched shutout ball against Banner Fuel.

Kyle Beckham pitched and hit two triples for Craftsman Homes against Spokane Recycling and Matthew McCauley pitched no-hit ball, striking out seven and hitting a grand slam home run during a win by Sidelines.

Pee Wees: Three teams, Dr. DeCounter DDS and Merit Electric in the American Division and Conley’s Place in the National Division are unbeaten as the Pee Wee League reached mid-season.

Three Dr. DeCounter pitchers combined for 31 strikeouts in 16 innings of three wins. One, Hunter Wells, had six hits in two of the wins. A second, Brandon Davis had five hits, including a double and triple. The third, Carson Driskill had four hits, including a double, triple and five RBIs.

Merit Electric also won three times last week, Derek Walker entering with the bases loaded against Pizza Hut and one out and striking out two to prevent further damage. And the team rallied from a 4-2 deficit to win 5-4.

Pizza Hut’s Dustin Dach has gone 14 for 15 with 11 RBIs. Matt Stewart had 17 strikeouts in two wins, and also hit two doubles in the loss to Merit.

Other highlights included a five-RBI game, including a double and triple, by Tanner Williams for Sterling Self Storage.

Valley Girls Softball begins

First two weeks of the 40-team Spokane Valley Girls Softball league are complete. Through Tuesday, after three games, there were nine unbeaten teams, nearly half from the 12U League.

Conley’s and Burlington Northern were 3-0 in the 16U League going into their Wednesday showdown, the first of two meetings. They had a two-game lead over the rest of the field.

No teams were unscathed in the competitive 14U League where four teams had 2-1 records and one other had a single loss with one unreported game.

One of Spokane Tire’s two wins was by a run as was its loss, to Old Country Buffet, another 2-1 team. Spokane Tire also beat Yogi Bear Camp Resort which also had a 2-1 record through Tuesday.

In other matchups of 2-1 teams, Yogi Bear Camp Resort beat Sir Speedy 12-11 and Sir Speedy beat Old Country Buffet 15-13.

The four unbeatens in 12-U competition were Awardmasters, Action Mortgage, Farrell Spray Service and White Elephant.

Epivot, which was just 1-2 after its first three games, lost by a run to both Farrell Spray Service and Awardmasters.

The 10-U League unbeatens were McDonald’s, Arby’s and Bank of Fairfield, the latter with one unreported game. Both McDonald’s and Arby’s were involved in one-run wins.

Grassl again leads Trailhead

On back-to-back weeks, Betty Grassl led A flight golfers during their Trailhead Ladies Club competition.

Grassl shot 44 for the day’s low gross score. Joyce Jacobs had a net 30.

In B flight, Nel Oehrling shot 52 and Wilma Capaul netted 37.

Bev Johnson led C flight with 55 and Caroline Michielli had a net 22. Harriet Carbon won no-handicap. No score was given.

Meanwhile, Bambi McDowell had not one, but two chip-ins, on holes No. 5 and 7. Dee Elder chipped in on No. 6.

MeadowWood golfers choose three

Playing “Three Blind Holes”, MeadowWood Ladies Women’s 18-Hole Club golfers tossed out their three worst holes to determine weekly winner.

Paulette Zuehike finished first with a net 55. She was one stroke ahead of Andine Suddeth and Lisa Perart. Marion Jordan netted 57, while Patsy Lynn, Bette Harmon and Sandy McLaughlin all had net 58s.

Painted Hills keeps Stolp waiting

No-handicap golfer Teresa Stolp is still waiting on her handicap, but it hasn’t kept her from being one of the Painted Hills Ladies League’s top golfers.

Stolp shot low-gross this week with 46, ahead of the 50 by A flight golfer Kim Tucker, 53 of B leader Melody Chesnut, 56 by C flight’s Marian Decker and 63 of D flight winner Naomi Chester.

Net winners for the week, A through D were Sammie Fletcher with 35, Dianna Tucker with 37, Cindee Corrick and Mary Clausen McKibben with 35s.

Chip-ins were recorded by Gail Bailey, Lynn Kemmish, Judi Campbell and Rita Baker.

Chip-ins aplenty at Liberty Lake

During weekly gathering of the Liberty Lake Ladies 9-Hole Golf Club, eight players recorded a total of nine chip-ins.

Kathy Camyn had two, on the 10th and 13th holes. No. 13 was popular, Joyce Jacobs and Jean Skredsvig also chipping in there. There were two on No. 7, by Audrey Vanos and Sue Matsui and two on No. 4, by Mary Gehrman and Nellie Auckerman. Wilma Capaul got hers on No. 2.

Flight leaders were Karen Strauss with 46 in first flight, Joyce Harris with 54 in second and Frances Martin with 65 in third.

Net leaders included Arla Beck with 36 in first flight, Deanna Hauser with 35 in second and Pat Reiter with 35 in third.