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Chewelah blanks Kettle Falls |
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Wednesday, 14 May 2008 |
Lady Bulldogs’ season comes to an end
BY CHRIS COWBROUGH
S-E Sports Editor
The second half of the 2008 softball season for Kettle Falls High hasn’t been particularly memorable. So it went last Sat¬urday at the District 7 1A Tour¬nament at University High School in Spokane.
The Lady Bulldogs (9-12) saw their season come to an end when Northeast A League neme¬sis Chewelah blanked KFHS, 3-0.
There were few highlights in the shutout loss. While Kettle Falls lefty Sami Mangini was pitching well and holding Chew¬elah to only three hits (six strikeouts and no walks), the junior was touched for three runs—one in the second and two more in the sixth inning.
That was more than enough against a Kettle Falls team that has struggled to score runs this spring.
Chewelah’s Katie Huguenin has been tough on KFHS this spring. She was again on Sat¬urday, limiting the Lady Bull¬dogs to those three hits.
“We just couldn’t get any¬thing done offensively,” retir¬ing Kettle head coach Don Fox said. “It’s disappointing. But we’ve been struggling with the bats.”
Huguenin also helped herself with a two-run double in the sixth inning.
Bulldogs have trouble mounting any offense
Chewelah scored their first run in the third when Kelsey Schalock legged out an infield single, stole second base, went to third on a fielder’s choice and scored on a passed ball.
Kettle Falls threatened in the fourth when Leanne Cannon singled. But the Lady Bulldogs couldn’t get her home. The same thing happened in the fifth inning when catcher Darby Sel¬lars singled.
Kettle Falls was playing with¬out starters Chelsea Brisbois and Taylor Bircher.
“I thought the kids we had played hard,” Fox said. “We ran up against a team that has played us well this spring.”
Fox, who coached his last game in a long and distin¬guished career at KFHS, knows that whoever takes over the reigns will have some talent to work with.
“We have a lot of good kids coming back,” Fox said on Sunday. “Our pitching was down a little this spring, but Rachel Higgs and Sami (Mangini) did a good job. They’ll be improved next season.”
But Fox and a lot of Kettle faithful know that this is a team that should have done better.
“We should have gone farther than we did,” Fox said. I’m not making any excuses. Maybe I was distracted a little. But we had some kids who weren’t as dedicated as some of the players I have coached.”
FREEMAN WINS
Freeman captured the Dis¬trict crown at U-High, stringing together three straight wins.
In the championship game on Saturday afternoon in Spo¬kane, Megan Coumont drilled a two-run double in a three-run fifth inning to lead the Scotties to a 3-1 win over top-seeded Lakeside.
It was Freeman’s first win this season over Lakeside.
Freeman opened the tour¬na¬ment with an 18-6 drubbing of Newport.
The Scotties advanced to the championship with a 10-1 win over second-seeded Colfax. Ca¬sey Olson struck out 10 in going the distance.
Lakeside is the No. 2 seed.
Coumont went four for five with three RBIs.
Chewelah, by virtue of their 11-4 win over Colfax, garnered the No. 3 seed to the regional this week against the Caribou-Trail League.
Grand Slam
Huguenin hit a grand slam home run to lead the rout.
Colfax is on the outside look¬ing in. the Bulldogs will need to win a pig-tail “play-in” game against the Caribou-Trail No. 5 team to garner a regional spot.
After an opening round on May 15 at Franklin Park in Spokane, the regional tourna¬ment will move to East We¬natchee for the District 6-7 re¬gional on Saturday, May 17.
The top four teams will qual¬ify for the State 1A Tour¬nament May 23-24 back at Franklin Park in Spokane.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 23 May 2008 )
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