Baseball notebook: Plot thickens in GSL race as Mt. Spokane suffers league loss

Something happened on Thursday that had not happened since May 2, 2016.

Mt. Spokane lost a Greater Spokane League baseball game.

The Wildcats wanted to immediately rinse the bad taste out of their mouths on Friday but were washed out, as were most games across the region.

Things started out pretty well for the Wildcats against Ferris on Thursday, as starter Ben McKinnis tossed five no-hit innings.

But Mt. Spokane’s hitters faced a daunting challenge as well, limited by Saxons starter Tristan Lookabill, who struck out 10 over 7 1/3 innings.

In the top of the eighth, Ferris scratched out a run as Nick McGoldrick’s second hit of the game delivered the go-ahead run. After Lookabill registered the first out in the bottom half, Brock Bozett came in to pick up the final two outs to lock down the extra-inning win.

With eight games remaining in league play, Mt. Spokane (10-2, 9-1) holds a one-game lead over Gonzaga Prep (9-3, 8-2). The Wildcats swept a pair from the Bullpups in the second week of league play in mid-March.

Mead (8-3, 7-3) is another game behind, with three squads – Central Valley, Ferris and Shadle Park – all with four losses.

Next up for Mt. Spokane – ranked second in state 3A by the Seattle Times – is a pair with the Shadle Park Highlanders, who are tied for fifth in the league. The teams square off on Saturday at 2 p.m. in a makeup of Friday’s rainout, and then again on Tuesday at 4 p.m.

G-Prep spanked Rogers (1-11, 0-10) 17-1 on Thursday to pull within a game of the Wildcats as Nick Drynan hurled four one-hit, shutout innings and Connor Coballes went 3 for 4 with four runs. The Bullpups play a Saturday-Tuesday home-and-home against Ferris then don’t face a team with a winning record until the final two games of the season in a showdown with Mead – which lost to Mt. Spokane earlier this season 7-0 and 18-0 on back-to-back days.

The District 8 4A baseball tournament is at Avista Stadium May 1-12. The top five teams from the GSL and Mid-Columbia Conference qualify with three teams advancing to state.

The District 8 3A tournament is May 3-12. The four GSL and three MCC teams qualify, with two teams advancing to state.

Great Northern League

Pullman (12-1, 5-0) is ranked ninth in state 2A by the Seattle Times and is breezing through league play.

The Greyhounds dropped Cheney (4-7, 2-3) 4-2 on Tuesday and play a doubleheader at West Valley (6-6, 2-2) on Saturday before hosting Clarkston (4-2, 2-2) on Tuesday.

The GNL tournament, featuring the top four teams in the league, is May 3-5 with the regular-season champ hosting the tourney final.

The tournament champion earns a bid to state. Second and third places will face crossover games against Central Washington Athletic Conference teams.

Northeast A

There are four teams within one game of the league lead, with Chewelah (7-2, 3-0) and Freeman (6-2, 2-0) still undefeated in league and one-loss Riverside (4-3, 3-1) and Lakeside (3-6, 2-1) close at hand.

Chewelah travels to Deer Park (4-3, 1-2) on Saturday before taking on Lakeside on Tuesday at Avista Stadium. Freeman faces a doubleheader on Saturday at Medical Lake (2-4, 2-3) and hosts Newport on Tuesday.

The league tourney winner advances to state. Second and third places face Caribou Trail League teams in a crossover on May 15.

Small schools

St. George’s (10-2, 6-0) and Colfax (8-2, 6-0) lead the Northeast 2B North and South Divisions, respectively. The Northeast 1B is led by Odessa (12-0, 8-0) with Almira/Coulee-Hartline (10-0, 4-0) close behind. Colton (5-3, 4-0) leads Pomeroy (6-3, 4-1) in the Southeast 1B.

Idaho

The Inland Empire 5A starts league play next week, but Lake City (9-0) is off to a rousing start to its season. The Timberwolves have outscored their opponents 86-15, led by Kyle Manzardo and Kobie Kolden.