Youth notebook: Spokane’s Washington Elite softball team wins division title at Summer Warmup tournament

Makenzie Nelson’s RBI single capped a two-run third inning and provided the winning margin as Washington Elite of Spokane overcame Spokane Stealth-Shores 5-4 Sunday to win the Gold Division championship of the Summer Warmup 16U/18U girls softball tournament in Selah, Washington.

Stealth had scored four runs in the first inning but Elite pitcher Sarah Paulson (Cascade of Leavenworth) blanked it the rest of the way, striking out nine with no walks, and contributed an RBI double in the third before Nelson (Northwest Christian) delivered the winning run.

Elite, which won four games in 93-degree heat Sunday to cap a 7-0 tournament, needed similar drama to win its semifinal. Tied at 6 in the bottom of the fifth with the time limit approaching, Peyton Cushner (Mead) had a walk-off, RBI double as Elite defeated previously unbeaten Washington Thunder (14-1-1) of Tacoma 7-6. Elite has a 16-2 season record.

• It took two extra innings, but Spokane Diamonds-Wuesthoff won the Silver bracket of the Demarini Classic 16U/18U tournament Sunday in Portland, defeating South Valley Storm of Eugene 12-8 in the championship game.

After going 1-2 in pool play, the Diamonds went 4-0 in bracket play, collecting three of the wins on Sunday.

A second Spokane team in the 30-team field, Diamonds Elite, went 3-0 in pool play to advance to the Gold division, but was eliminated 7-2 by Black Tornado of Medford, Oregon, in the second round of bracket play.

Baseball

Mt. Spokane Wild and Pullman Patriots split a doubleheader on Tuesday and Shadle Park Shockers won twice leaving the three teams within a half-game of one another atop Spokane’s AAA American Legion league.

Wild, which defeated Patriots 5-4 before losing 3-0, has a 5-2 record to the 4-2 marks of Patriots and Shockers, which defeated Spokane Cannons 5-4 and 19-3.

Spokane Northstars (2-4), Spokane Bandits (1-2) and Cannons (1-5) round out the six-team league.

• There are too many results unaccounted for in the Legion AA and Single A divisions to accurately list the standings.