Youth sports notebook: Spokane Sounders 18U girls make it to quarterfinals at US Youth Soccer Far West Regionals

Spokane Sounders 18U girls had the best showing of five area teams that qualified for the US Youth Soccer Far West Regionals last month in Boise.

The Sounders won their group with three shutout victories – 3-0, 4-0 and 2-0 – to advance to the quarterfinals, and a matchup against La Roca PO from Layton, Utah. La Roca prevailed 4-3 en route to the finals, where it lost 4-1 to Celtic Premier JR from Orem, Utah.

Also competing for regional championships and spots in the USYS nationals were Sounders 14U and 15U boys teams and Timbers FC North 14U and 18U boys teams from Coeur d’Alene.

Baseball

The battle is still tight atop the AAA Spokane American Legion league in games reported through Tuesday with the district tournament on the horizon.

Pullman Patriots (6-2), Shadle Park Shockers (7-3) and Mt. Spokane Wild (7-4) are within a half game of one another.

Spokane Northstars (5-5), Spokane Cannons (3-5) and Spokane Bandits (1-10) round out the six-team league standings.

The district tournament is scheduled July 18-21.

• There are multiple unreported results in the Single A and AA divisions to accurately determine standings.

• Pool play in Senior and Junior divisions in the annual Spokane/Coeur d’Alene Wood Bat Tournament winds up Saturday at 12 sites with bracket play Sunday to determine semifinalists.

The semifinals and finals will be Monday at Al K Jackson Field (Shadle Park) for the Senior division and Thorco Field-Ramsay Park (Coeur d’Alene) for the Junior division. Semifinals are at 9 and 11 a.m. with the finals at 2 p.m.

Tournament information is online at spokanealb.com.

Softball

Two Spokane teams collected second-place finishes in tournaments last weekend.

Spokane Stealth-Tibbets lost twice to Lady Bombers from the Coast in the NSA 16U B State Tournament in the Tri-Cities after taking a 4-0 record into the championship round of the double-elimination tournament.

Stealth had defeated Lady Bombers 12-2 in the winner’s bracket final, but Bombers turned the tables, winning the first championship game 9-3 to force an “if-necessary” game, which it won 13-1.

Spokane Diamonds Elite lost 11-3 to Northwest Shock from Lewis County in the championship game of the Gold bracket at the USA Softball City of Roses Tournament in Portland, finishing with a 7-1 record.

Another Stealth team, 16U B Martinez, lost 8-5 to Oregon Blaze in its bracket final in the USA Softball Stars and Stripes Forever-Play for a Cure Oregon tournament in Salem.

Basketball

Seventeen teams are entered in the ninth annual Summer Heat Showcase girls basketball tournament Tuesday and Wednesday at The Warehouse Athletic Facility in Spokane.

Games are scheduled from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday in the NCAA-certified event in 15U, all-star and elite divisions and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday.

Tournament information is available online at www.warehouseathletics.com