Cardinals back in NWAC softball title game
- SOFTBALL
SPOKANE — For the second straight year, North Idaho College finds itself in a familiar position at the Northwest Athletic Conference softball tournament at the Dwight Merkel Sports Complex.
Undefeated in the tournament, and in the championship game.
On Sunday, the defending champion and fourth-seeded Cardinals beat ninth-seeded and East Region rival Walla Walla 4-0, then beat third-seeded Edmonds 6-3 in the semifinal.
NIC (37-9-1) plays in the championship game at 1:30 p.m., needing one victory to repeat as conference champs.
Edmonds (40-9) and seventh seed Douglas (37-11) play at 11 a.m., with the loser finishing third. The winner takes on NIC for the championship, needing to beat the Cardinals twice to win the title.
Against Walla Walla, Madi Mott struck out nine in a two-hit shutout for NIC, which broke the ice with three runs in the fourth inning.
Emma Profili delivered an RBI single, and Jori Kerr added a two-run single. Mott hit a solo homer in the fifth.
Against Edmonds, Taylor Anderson singled in a run in the second inning and doubled in a run in the fourth for the Cardinals. Brianna Hecker also drove in two runs.
Mott allowed four hits, three of them solo homers — two by Rhilmina Sagapolutele. NIC led 6-1 before the Tritons homered twice in the bottom of the seventh.
NIC 4, WALLA WALLA 0
Walla Walla 000 000 0 — 0 2 1
North Idaho 000 310 x — 4 9 0
Abby Giles, Rosie Cantu (6) and Ashton Buffo; Madi Mott and Taylor Anderson. W — Mott. L — Giles.
HITS: WW — Buffo, Giles. NIC — Winn, Mott 2, Cavanagh, Hecker, Williams, Profili, Anderson 2. 2B — Williams. HR — Mott.
NIC 6, EDMONDS 3
North Idaho 020 120 1 — 6 10 0
Edmonds 000 100 2 — 3 4 1
Madi Mott and Taylor Anderson; Cecilia Robbins, Riley Sikes (7) and Staisa Micky. W — Mott. L — Robbins.
HITS: NIC — Winn, Kerr, Amesquita, Cavanagh 2, Hecker, Williams, Profili, Anderson 2. Ed — Hensley, Sagapolutele 2, Micky. 2B — Williams, Anderson. HR — Hensley, Sagapolutele 2.
NORTHWEST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Dwight Merkel Sports Complex, Spokane
Sunday’s Games
Bellevue 14, Mt. Hood 13 (loser out)
Clackamas 10, Big Bend 9 (loser out)
Centralia 2, Olympic 1 (loser out)
Lower Columbia 7, Spokane 3 (loser out)
Edmonds 3, Douglas 0
North Idaho 4, Walla Walla 0
Clackamas 10, Bellevue 4 (loser out)
Centralia 8, Lower Columbia 3 (loser out)
Douglas 16, Clackamas 1 (loser out)
Walla Walla 4, Centralia 3 (loser out)
North Idaho 6, Edmonds 3 (semifinal)
Douglas 8, Walla Walla 4 (loser fourth)
Monday’s Games
Game 29 — Edmonds (40-9) vs. Douglas (37-11), Field 1, 11 a.m. (semifinal, loser third)
Game 30 — North Idaho (37-9-1) vs. Winner Game 29, Field 1, 1:30 p.m. (championship game)
Game 31 — Winner Game 30 vs. Loser Game 30, Field 1, 4 p.m. (if necessary)
- GOLF
NIC men lead after
first day of NWAC
Championship
DuPONT, Wash. — With all four scorers shooting 76 or better, the North Idaho College men’s golf team has a two-stroke lead after the first day of the Northwest Athletic Conference golf championships Sunday at The Home Course.
Jesse Henderson is tied for second after shooting a 1-under-par 71. Tyler Jones and Braxton Stewart are tied for fourth after shooting 72s, and Lincoln Hirrlinger and Nick Roberts each shot 76.
NIC shot 291. Spokane is in second, Bellevue six shots back in third.
In the women’s tournament, Jessey Simons of NIC is tied for third after the first day, shooting a 5-over 77. She’s one shot out of the lead.
The Cardinals are tied for fifth after shooting 249. Columbia Basin leads with 233.
The 36-hole tournaments conclude today.
MEN
TEAM SCORES — 1, North Idaho 291. 2, Spokane 293. 3, Bellevue 297. 4, Grays Harbor 303. 5, Skagit Valley 306. 6, Southwestern Oregon 310. 7, Olympic 321. 8, Walla Walla 337.
LEADER — Jonny Larson, Skagit Valley, 70.
NORTH IDAHO — T2, Jesse Henderson 71. T4, Tyler Jones 72, Braxton Stewart 72. T15, Lincoln Hirrlinger 76, Nick Roberts 76. T20, Dawson Strobel 77.
WOMEN
TEAM SCORES — 1, Columbia Basin 233. 2, Spokane 239. 3, Southwestern Oregon 240. 4, Bellevue 248. 5 (tie), Skagit Valley, North Idaho 249. 7, Walla Walla 256. 8, Highline 269.9, Grays Harbor 306. 10, Centralia 328.
LEADERS — Emma Torres, Spokane; Shelby Baum, Spokane, 76.
NORTH IDAHO — T3, Jessey Simons 77. T16, Kaylie Hayes 84. T25, Mackenzie Robins 88, Madeline Neff 88. 32, Zoyee Thomas 90. 33, Caitlyn Fisher 91.