Tenny, Parrish take championship at Tri-Cities Invitational

During competiton at the Tri-Cities Invitational tennis tournament last weekend, University’s No. 1 doubles teammates Katie Tenney and Hailey Parrish experienced doubt.

They watched Ferris’ “really good doubles” duo lose to the team they were to play, said coach Julene Osborn, and told her, “We’re going to get killed.”

Osborn darted off to watch her No. 2 team of Jessica Steele and Bianca Sanchez play and returned to hear a 5-2 score called out.

“I thought they were losing 2-5, but then Hailey served and said ‘5-2,’ and I just about fell over,” Osborn said.

Tenney and Parrish went on to win that match and two more for the girls doubles championship in U-Hi’s first appearance at the tourney in Osborn’s four years as coach.

“They played the best tennis I’ve seen in years,” Osborn said. “There were such high level teams. They were super excited, and we’re all so thrilled.”

Steele and Sanchez were the No. 2 doubles consolation champions and the Titans got good efforts from several other players, including fill-in singles player sophomore Madison Frame, to score 107 points (boys and girls efforts combined). Ferris won the title with 177 points.

Central Valley’s Alex Kern was No. 3 singles consolation champion.

With the title, the expectations of junior Tenney and sophomore Parrish have increased.

“Their goal is to go to state,” said Osborn. “I told them they’re in trouble now. I know what they’re capable of.”

U-Hi’s girls finished second in the American Division of the Greater Spokane League and next week begins overall league championship play. They are looking to move up from last year’s fourth-place finish under GSL Coach of the Year Osborn.

Osborn grew up playing in a tennis family in California, her dad a coach for 25 years. That expertise has helped make U-Hi a team on the rise.

“Every year I’ve had a good freshman make varsity,” she said. Current No. 1 player Kamin Alteneder was her first. “Lots of experience has come through the ranks.”

Pick your poison

With the score between East Valley and North Central tied 4-4 in the bottom of the seventh and Knights at second and third, the visiting Indians baseball team had a choice.

They could either pitch to Jye Lanphere or walk him and face Tanner Hamilton.

“They were probably in a no-win situation,” said EV coach John Phelan. “They were going from one .450 hitter to another.”

The obvious choice was to walk Lanphere and hope for an inning-ending double play. Besides his average (.432), Lanphere has three home runs and is among the GSL runs-batted-in leaders.

However Hamilton, a .471 hitter, has a couple homers himself, and he laced a hard hit to left for the 5-4 win.

It was an odd game in that NC scored on a bases loaded walk and only got two runs in the fifth inning despite hitting two singles and a couple doubles.

The Indians tied the game in the seventh on two bobbled balls, a single, infield hit and sacrifice fly. But they also had a runner picked off first and ran themselves out of two potential runs in the fourth.

One got caught in a run down between second and third on a grounder to pitcher Mark Lengyel. Later, a runner at third ran home on a one-out pop fly to shortstop Lanphere and was eventually doubled off even though the toss to third base was overthrown.

And a couple defensive mistakes, one mental and the other physical, led to EV’s final two scores.

“We took advantage of a couple blunders they had,” said Phelan. “We’ve been on the other end of those. We were glad to return the favor.”

The win was welcomed considering EV (5-8) followed with a tough home-and-home series Thursday and Friday against Mt. Spokane. The Knights lost 5-1 in the first game.

Meanwhile, West Valley and Central Valley squared off in two games critical to both teams’ playoff future.

Statistically, the Eagles had the upper hand with five .400 hitters, Casey Sherrill (.452), Mitch Phillips (.444, 11 runs scored), Justin Marlow (.410, 13 runs), Matt Peterson (.405, six doubles, 12 runs) and Greg Bradley (.400, two home runs and a triple).

Bryan Peterson (two home runs, 12 RBIs), Phillips (11) and Bradley (11) were among the GSL’s top seven in runs driven in and Bradley is also one of the pitching earned run average leaders heading into the week.

Central Valley’s Ryan Simmelink was hitting .469 and Brad Johnson had 10 RBIs, but the Bears have no other statistical leaders.

In Thursday’s 3-2 win over the Bears (6-7), WV (8-3) had just enough fourth-inning offense — three of its four hits including a two-run double by Phillips. But it was a wild pitch following a strikeout that the Eagles had the winning base runner, followed by a bases-loaded hit batter that brought home the winning run.

University’s 10-2 team is led by Adam Smith (.464, 10 runs scored, third in pitching with a record and 1.4 ERA and the league strikeout leader) and catcher Kenny VanSickle (.457, 10 runs and 13 RBIs). Sophomore Tyler Olson has six doubles and is third in runs batted in with 14.

Big win for CV

Central Valley (8-3) came up big Thursday with an upset 1-0 win over Mt. Spokane on Lauren Mandler‘s two-hit pitching.

Emily Anderson singled in the sixth, stole second, moved up on a bunt and scored on Mickenzie Alden‘s squeeze bunt to move past the Wildcats into fourth place.

The Bears have moved to within two games of University (9-1) which hosts unbeaten Shadle Park on Tuesday in a showdown of perennial GSL softball powers.

Some of the glamour in the showdown was lost when the Titans absorbed their first league loss on Tuesday, a 5-4 upset at Rogers when the Pirates scored three times in the bottom of the seventh inning.

But the Titans (9-1) can tie for the league lead with a win over the unbeaten Highlanders who have allowed only three runs in 13 games overall.

Through last week Titans Riki Schiermeister and Ashley Fargher were batting .548 and .520 respectively, EV Allie Burger was hitting .522 and CV’s Krista Osterwyk was hitting .500 to rank among the GSL top 10.

Alden leads the league in doubles with six to Fargher’s five. Fargher was second in RBIs with 17. Schiermeister was among the runs leaders with 16.

Titan Mandy Mikelson was 5-0 with a 1.97 earned run average, fourth in the league, and was batting .478.

Soccer takes a turn

The goal for East Valley’s soccer players was to complete the Greater Spokane League season undefeated, said coach Jeff Rose.

“That’s not as important to me,” he said following a key 2-1 Monday victory over closest rival Ferris. “If we drop one along the way we’re still all right.”

But only one. And that occurred two days later.

Victory over Ferris had given the Knights a five-point cushion with four matches remaining.

On Wednesday, in overtime, their unbeaten dream ended 3-2 in Cheney and lead dropped to two points over the Saxons and Blackhawks. Friday they were at Lewis and Clark. Next Friday EV (9-1) completes its season against Central Valley.

The GSL remains tight, four teams still harboring championship aspirations.

CV (6-4) lost to Ferris 2-1 on Wednesday, but still was fourth among 4A district playoff aspirants prior to Friday’s match against University (4-6).

The Titans lost 3-0 to NC, but were still sixth, needing a win next week at Shadle Park to make the playoffs.

West Valley (2-8) beat Clarkston 3-0 and is fourth among 3A teams.

District competition begins May 3.

Liberty Cup caps two weeks

Tuesday’s Liberty Cup play capped two weeks of Liberty Lake 18-Hole Women’s Club golf.

Debbie West recorded low net of the field to win the monthly outing.

During concurrent putting competition, best of the day came in C flight where Veda Hoglen took just 29. Billie Etter won A flight with 31, Jean Hatcher and Honey Conlon tied in B flight with 32 and Sue Meyer had 30 in D.

The week before, counting the best nine holes, Jackie Shea had a net 35 and Patsy Lynn 36 in A flight. Hatcher netted 34 and West 38 in B, Marie Nelson won C with 42 and Maggie Steffy took 37 in D.

Golfing in the rain

There were thunderstorms and rain, but a good turnout during weekly Painted Hills Ladies League competition.

Winners for the week were Jeanne Allemand with low gross 44 in A flight. Gail Bailey netted 37.

There were ties in B flight. Carol Frost and Joyce Jacobs shot 56 for gross, Jacobs and Carole Grebe had 36 for net.

C flight was won by Carol Schjodt with 57 and Virginia Lemmer with a net 36. Ina Grunwald shot 63 and Nancy Moore netted 40 in D. No-handicap winner was Gloria Knauss with 61.

Frost had a chip-in on the ninth hole, and Julie Harbison did so on No. 6.

State-ly play at Trailhead

It was Carolyn State‘s day during weekly Trailhead Ladies Golf Club play.

State shot 48 for the day’s low gross and A flight lead. Harriet Carbon shot 54 in B, Mary Ann Evans 64 in C, while Brenda Miller and Jean McKenzie tied at 58 in the no-handicap flight.

Net winners A-through-C flights respectively, were Joyce Jacobs with 35, Sharron Collins, who had a chip-in, with 29 and Caroline Michielli with 38 in C. Sandi Hatcher also had a chip-in.