Lakeside Eagles Win District 7 Fastpitch Championship!
Following all-conference and player of the year award presentations, the Lakeside softball team throttled league champ Colville's hitting juggernaut, led by League Offensive Player of the Year senior Amanda Hamilton, to only 5 hits and lit up the Indians' just-crowned League Pitcher of the Year junior Jolene Rogers for 10 hits to win the District 7 1A tournament championship game by a score of 6-2 last Saturday, May 14th, at Central Valley High School.
The win avenges doubleheader losses at Colville May 7th that leapfrogged the Indians (14-1, 18-4) over the previously unbeaten Eagles (13-2, 20-2) and into the league title. Lakeside was the only NEA team to beat the Indians this year, winning 5-4 at home April 19th.
The Eagles edged Riverside 6-5 and the Indians run-ruled Chewelah 10-0 in the earlier games to set up the show down.
Lakeside's Vanessa Ahrendt, back from a two-week hand injury, shut out the Indians five innings before giving up a 2-run homer to junior Erin Torgerson. Aside from that uh-oh, Colville could only manage four singles off the three-time 1st Team All-Conference junior.
The Eagles, led by three-time All-Conference junior catcher Savannah Rolston's 3 hits, blasted Rogers with triples by Ahrendt and sophomore All-Conference first baseman Nikki Tiffany and three doubles, one each by sophomore 1st Team All-Conference left fielder Lauren Gerty, senior center fielder Emily Lesser and Rolston. Senior short stop and Defensive Player of the Year Michaela Brittos also added a single to those by Gerty, Rolston (2) and Ahrendt.
In a reversal of their previous meeting, the Indians seemed to crack under the Lakeside offensive pressure, committing four uncharacteristic throwing errors, while the Eagles remained poised and in control, committing only one catching error in the day's swirling winds.
The district title is the Eagles' ticket to a first round bye in the Bi-District Tournament at Cascade High School in Leavenworth Saturday, May 21st.
The Bi-District bracket pits the top three District 6 Caribou Trail League teams against the top three District 7 Northeast A League teams for three seeds to the state fastpitch tournament to be held this year at Dwight Merkel Complex in Spokane May 27-28.
Colville's loss dropped them into the NEA #2 seed to face CTL #3 in a loser-out first round matchup, while Riverside beat Chewelah to grab the #3 seed and a date with CTL #2. Lakeside will face the winner of the Riverside/CTL #2 loser-out in a 2 p.m. second round game.