Prep softball notebook: Central Valley takes early lead in Greater Spokane League
Through Wednesday, Central Valley is leading the way in Greater Spokane League fastpitch softball with an 8-0 record to start the season and seven wins in league.
The Bears have excelled behind top-notch pitching from senior Kelsey Gumm.
Heading into Tuesday’s 22-1 rout of Ferris, Gumm led the league with 76 strikeouts and a 0.74 ERA. Gumm, who signed with Seton Hall, has also assisted CV at the plate with a team-leading three home runs, including a grand slam against the Saxons.
The Mt. Spokane Wildcats and University Titans are not far behind, with one loss in league apiece. The Wildcats fell to CV 10-5 last month and U-Hi had its first loss in GSL play on Tuesday when it fell to Mt. Spokane 13-7.
The Titans, who were predicted to finish atop the standings by the majority of GSL teams this year, have succeeded with their offense. In the first six games of league play, U-Hi had five players among the GSL hit leaders.
Newcomer Alyssa Benthagen led the way with 14 hits and four others had 13 apiece. Benthagen, a junior infielder and catcher who moved to Spokane from southern California, also leads the GSL in home runs (four), RBIs (17) and runs (16).
U-Hi’s Kortney Richardson and Gracee Dwyer lead the GSL in batting average. Richardson tops the list at .765 (13 of 17). Dwyer is a close second with a .650 batting average, with 13 hits in 20 at-bats.
Great Northern League
Cheney tops the GNL with an 8-0 overall record and two wins in league. The Blackhawks had their first league outing in a doubleheader against Clarkston on Monday. Sophomore Logan Krantz, who was named to the All-GNL first team last season, led Cheney with five hits in the sweep, including a home run.
West Valley (8-1, 1-0) has one loss – to Northeast A League member Lakeside last month. The Eagles won their league game on Tuesday against East Valley (3-5, 2-1). Returning league MVP Maddi Thompson led WV with three hits – including a homer – in the 10-8 win.
Inland Empire League 5A
Senior pitcher Cheyenne Rose led Lewiston (9-1 overall) to an 18-1 win over Clarkston on Wednesday with four hits, including a home run, and five RBIs. She also limited the Bantams to one hit.
Lewiston will have its first league games on Saturday against Lake City. LC, which finished second in state last season, is 6-3 this season. The Timberwolves are coming off a 19-3 win over Lakeland on Monday.
Small Schools
Northwest Christian remains undefeated with a 10-0 overall record, including six wins in the Northeast 2B North Division.
In Tuesday’s doubleheader against Springdale, the Crusaders continued their streak with a 16-1 win in the first game and a 15-0 win in the second. Junior Jordan Rabe led NWC with seven RBIs in the sweep with a three-run homer in the early game.
Colfax is undefeated (7-0, 6-0) in the Northeast 2B South Division. The Bulldogs outscored Reardan by 39 in a doubleheader sweep on Monday and toppled Liberty in both games of a doubleheader on Tuesday, outscoring the Lancers by 23. Abbie Miller tossed a complete game in the first game and homered in the second.
Sandpoint tops the Inland Empire League 4A with two wins in league ahead of Thursday’s doubleheader against Lakeland. Sandpoint (4-6) opened league March 31 against Moscow.
The Bulldogs toppled Moscow 18-0 in the first game and 15-9 in the second.