SPOKANE, Wash. — Ellensburg had a Valley-best five quarterfinal winners during the first day of the Class 2A Region IV wrestling tournament on Friday at West Valley High School.

Competition resumes today at 1 p.m. with the top four placers advancing to state.

Othello scored 91 points for the first-day lead ahead of three Great Northern teams — Deer Park, East Valley and Cheney.

Ellensburg tallied 48 points in seventh with Selah one spot back with 46.5 points.

Toppenish had three quarterfinal winners Friday.

Team scores: Othello 91, Deer Park 87, East Valley-Spokane 77, Cheney 73, Quincy 52, Clarkston 51.5, Ellensburg 48, Selah 46.5, West Valley-Spokane 38.5, Toppenish 34.5, Ephrata 29.5, Grandview 29, East Valley-Yakima 24, Pullman 16, Medical Lake 16, Wapato 15, Prosser 8.

Today’s semifinal pairings

106: Aaron Klauder (DP) vs. Gabe Martinez (Q); Anthony Barrera (O) vs. Christian Alejandrez (Q).

113: Zeb Klemke (ML) vs. Sergio Morales (T); A.J. Garza (O) vs. Wyatt Scribner (Ell).

120: Jake Konzal (DP) d. Casey Ourada (EVS); Aaron Guz (Clark) vs. Michael Leonard (DP).

126: Cole Harris (DP) vs. Hunter Pederson (Ch); Lucas Garza (O) vs. Anton King (ML).

132: Alex Rockstrom (EVS) vs. Aaron Arredondo (T); Eric Benton (Clark) vs. Logan Merkle (EVY).

138: Joe Grable (DP) vs. Blake Haberman (Ell); Dakota Mauzay (Ch) vs. Kody Ergeson (Se).

145: Matt Miller (DP) vs. Chance Blackburn (EVS); Isias Jimenez (Q) vs. Kamal Qteishat (Ell).

152: Elias Mason (Ch) vs. Darren Damon (Clark); Braydan Berezay (EVS) vs. Eric Garza (O).

160: Dylan Miller (DP) vs. Antonio Melendez (Q); Matthew Melo (O) vs. Anton Yates (EVY).

170: Brock Beeler (Clark) vs. Ricardo Rodriguez (Wap); Jason Jorgensen (DP) vs. Tyler Coates (Ell).

182: Spencer Rassier (Ch) vs. Perry Simpson (Ell); Stephen Villarreal (O) vs. Zach Goodpaster (Se).

195: Cameron Schlotter (Ch) vs. Kyle Murphy (Clark); Brandon Heide (EVS) vs. Tyrus Kemp (Eph).

220: Kyle White (WVS) vs. Raul Pech (T); CJ Rodriguez (DP) vs. Joey Gomez (O).

285: Alex Hachman (WVS) vs. Bubba Ruiz (O); Ricky Miller (WVS) vs. Martin Torres (Gv).

COLLEGE BASEBALL

Central falls to Monterey in 14

SEASIDE, Calif. — Brady Kincannon had three hits for Central Washington on Friday, but the Wildcats fell to Cal State Monterey Bay 7-6 in 14 innings.

The 3 hour, 40-minute game was the second-longest in CWU history and dropped the Wildcats to 0-3 while CSUMB improved to 4-2.

The teams meet again today for a doubleheader and conclude their series with a single game Sunday.

Central 100 101 020 000 01 — 6 11 3

Monterey 011 200 001 000 02 — 7 18 1

Button, Lotzer (7), Jones (10), Knutson (13) and Sani; Appino, Noack (6), Auker (7), Zosel (8), Paolinetti (11) and White, Olson (9).

CWU highlights: Brady Kincannon 3-7, 2 RBI; Brett Bielec 2-6, RBI.

COLLEGE FASTPITCH

CWU opens with two losses

LAS VEGAS — Central Washington lost its first two games of the season Friday in the MSUB Desert Stinger at Majestic Park.

CWU lost to Sonoma State in the first game 6-3. The Wildcats lost to California Baptist 4-1 in the second game.

Statistics were not available from either game.

The Wildcats face Dixie State and Western New Mexico today, and conclude tournament play Sunday against California State Monterey Bay.

GOLF

Cobleigh earns regional honor

YAKIMA, Wash. — Paul Cobleigh, the head professional at SunTides Golf Course, has been named a 2011 PING regional club fitter of the year.

Cobleigh was recognized for “his commitment to helping golfers of all abilities improve their games through custom fitting,” according to a news release from the company, which pioneered custom fitting nearly 40 years ago.

“Golfers know PING for our leadership in custom fitting, and we are held to a higher standard, so we’re grateful for experts like Paul who demonstrate every day how properly fit equipment leads to lower scores and more fun on the golf course,” John A. Solheim, PING Chairman and CEO said in the same release. “Paul is a consummate professional who combines excellent communication skills with technical expertise, and is a tireless advocate for PING’s fitting philosophy. For all these reasons, he is very deserving of this recognition.”

YAKIMA, Wash. — Central Washington’s two-time defending conference champion softball team was voted second in the GNAC preseason poll.

The Wildcats received two first-place votes in the poll and finished just behind Montana State-Billings in the ranking, which is voted upon by the seven conference coaches.

MSUB received three first-place votes, while Western Washington also received two first-place votes and was third in the poll.

Simon Fraser, Northwest Nazarene, Western Oregon, and Saint Martin’s rounded out the poll.

Track and field

Boyes named Athlete of the Week

YAKIMA, Wash. — Central Washington junior Brennan Boyes was named the GNAC male athlete of the week for indoor track and field on Monday.

Boyes cleared a height of 6 feet, 83?4 inches at the UW Invitational in Seattle on Saturday, tying for fifth in the event. More importantly, Boyes met a provisional Division II national-qualifying standard in the event and posted a tie for the second-best indoor high jump in the history of the GNAC.

College Wrestling

North Idaho College 45, YVCC 3

125: Jaquin Calderon (NIC) d. Jesse O’Camb (YVCC) 17-7.

133: Konner Hopkins (YVCC) d. Blake Adams (NIC) 4-0.

141: Jarrett Morrill (NIC) pinned Chris Pena (YVCC) 1:22.

149: Derek Booth (NIC) d. Jimmy Wilson (YVCC) 8-0.

157: Ryan Zumwalt (NIC) pinned Kolton Palmer (YVCC) 6:48.

165: WV Meyer (NIC) d. Levii Duvall (YVCC) 15-4.

174: Kyle Sweedman (NIC) pinned Mikey Ayala (YVCC) 1:36.

184: Kaleb Revira (NIC) pinned Chris Burnett (YVCC) 2:52.

197: Justin Korthius (NIC) pinned Daniel Agao (YVCC) 4:18.

HVY: Justin Gillespie (NIC) d. Steve Taylor (YVCC) 12-3.

YAKIMA, Wash. — A banner season for Central Washington’s fastpitch team continues to reap rewards.

Two Wildcats, Samantha Petrich and Kelsey Haupert, were named NCAA Division II all-Americans on Thursday by Daktronics, Inc.

For Petrich, the accolade came after she was named West Region player of the year, also by Daktronics. The senior shortstop from Chehalis also was runnerup to Grand Valley State’s Katie Martin in voting for national player of the year, and previously had been named CWU’s female athlete of the year for the academic year of 2010-2011.

Petrich batted .455 with 13 home runs and 41 runs batted in. She also compiled a .942 fielding percentage over 190 defensive chances at shortstop.

During the regular season, in which Central won its second straight GNAC championship and accompanying D-II regional playoff berth, Petrich set a conference record for both on-base percentage at .579 and walks with 36.

Coming to CWU from Lower Columbia College, Petrich finished her two-year Wildcat career with a .413 batting average, 29 homers and 105 RBI.

Haupert, an Olympia product who began her college career at Purdue, was a second-team all-American last year. This spring she led all of Division II with 21 homers while batting .451 and totaling 53 RBI.

She became Central’s career homer leader in only two seasons with 39 and concluded her career with a .399 average and 118 RBI.

Only one other D-II school — Rollins College of Florida — placed more than one player on the 13-player all-American first team.

The Wildcats finished their season 34-16.

ELLENSBURG — Central Washington’s Samantha Petrich has been named the Daktronics NCAA Division II West Region Softball Player of the Year, the university announced Wednesday.

Petrich, a senior shortstop, had previously been named GNAC Player of the Year. She batted .455 with 13 home runs and 41 runs batted in while also compiling a .942 fielding percentage as Central won its second consecutive conference championship and D-II regional berth.

Joining Petrich on the Daktronics West Region first team was senior third baseman Kelsey Haupert, who batted .451 and led all D-II players with 21 homers while totaling 53 RBI. Haupert’s .948 slugging percentage set school and GNAC records.

Petrich and Haupert have thus been placed on the Daktronics All-American ballot. Those honors are expected to be announced next week.

Two Yaks all-region 2nd team

Yakima Valley’s Hannah Kranz and Tori Slobig have been named to the NWAACC’s East Region all-star second team.

Kranz was a sophomore pitcher from Ferndale while Slobig was a freshman designated hitter/utility player from Selah.

YVCC finished 20-23-1 and 10-18 in region play.

PREP GOLF

EV’s Gibbs 10th at regional

PULLMAN — East Valley’s Katie Gibbs placed 10th to lead five local state qualifiers at the CWAC-GNL regional golf tournament at Palouse Ridge golf course.

Selah’s Ashley Anderson was a stroke back in 11th.

East Valley’s Allyson Ingraham, Wapato’s Michelle Baluca and Selah’s Taylor Jones also advanced to state, which will be held May 24-25 at Lake Spanaway Golf Course.

Team scores: Othello 1481?2, Pullman 1111?2, Clarkston 931?2, Selah 88, East Valley-Yakima 66, Medical Lake 581?2, Cheney 55, Ephrata 55, East Valley-Spokane 50, Deer Park 291?2, Wapato 261?2.

Medalist: Paige Whidbee (P) 81. At Palouse Ridge GC, par 72.

Local state qualifiers: 10, Katie Gibbs (EV) 103, 11, Ashley Anderson (Selah) 104, 16, Allyson Ingraham (EV) 107, 17, Michelle Baluca (Wapato) 108, 19, Taylor Jones (Selah) 110. First alternate: Katie Daniels (Selah) 110.

PREP FASTPITCH

Knights edge Klickitat

SUNNYSIDE — Makayla Morrow pitched six shutout innings to help Sunnyside Christian defeat Klickitat 5-3 in the first round of the 1B regional tournament on Wednesday.

The Knights (17-4) host the remainder of the four-team tournament, which has one state berth, on Saturday. SC will play the winner of Wednesday’s Lyle-Wishram vs. Easton-Thorp game in a 10 a.m. semifinal.

Klickitat will play in a loser-out game at 10 a.m.

Klickitat 000 300 0 — 3 4 2

Sunnyside Christian 021 110 x — 5 7 1

Curtis and C. Clack; Morrow and D. DeGroot.

Highlights: Analisa Van Oostrum (SC) 1-4, 2b, RBI; Grace den Hoed (SC) 1-4, 2b; Makayla Morrow (SC) 1-4, 2b, 5 K; Danika DeGroot (SC) 2-3; Chelci Curtis (K) 1-3, 2 RBI, 9 K; Ashley Meeks (K) 1-3, RBI.

CHICO, Calif. — The day began in grand fashion for Central Washington’s fastpitch team in the NCAA Division II West Regional tournament.

The Wildcats, who suffered a narrow first-round defeat to top-seeded UC San Diego on Friday, not only stayed alive in the double-elimination event, they did so by ousting archrival Western Washington 8-4.

But Central had to win another game Saturday to extend its season, and was unable to do so in a 3-2 loss to host Chico State.

The defeat ended CWU’s year with a 34-16 record.

Senior pitching ace Lauren Hadenfeld went the distance in both games, finishing the campaign with a 24-11 record.

Chico State (31-18), also the Wildcats, scored the winning run in the bottom of the sixth inning on Rachel Munoz’s one-out, bloop double off the outstretched glove of CWU second baseman Molly Coppinger.

Central managed five hits through 31/3 innings off Chico starter Jessica McDermott, but got none thereafter against ace Sam Baker, who struck out four and walked none while improving her record to 22-10.

The Wildcats runs came on four consecutive singles in the fourth, the last of which were RBI hits by Liz Jusko and Carrina Wagner and chased McDermott.

Chico meets UC San Diego today, but must beat the Tritons twice for the championship.

Against Western, the Wildcats produced a five-run third inning and a three-run seventh against Viking pitching standout Erika Quint (28-7).

Jennifer Schwartz’s two-run single was followed by Samantha Petrich’s two-run homer in the fourth, after which a bases-loaded walk to Elena Carter forced in the fifth run.

Carrina Wagner’s three-run homer in the seventh completed Central’s scoring to back Hadenfeld, who scattered seven hits while fanning eight and walking one.

The Wildcats, who went 74-31 their last two seasons and claimed back-to-back conference titles, saw five seniors including four starters play their final games for Central.

CHICO STATE 3, CENTRAL 2

Central            000 200 0 — 2 5 0
Chico State    011 001 x — 3 4 0
Hadenfeld and Carter; McDermott, Baker (4) and Stockman.
CWU highlights: Kelsey Haupert 1-2; Keilani Cruz 1-2, 2b; Liz Jusko 2-3, RBI; Carrina Wagner 1-3.

CENTRAL 8, WESTERN WASHINGTON 4

Central     005 000 3 — 8 9 4
Western   004 000 0 — 4 7 2
Hadenfeld and Carter; Quint and Rothenberger.
CWU highlights: Jennifer Schwartz 2b, 2 RBI; Samantha Petrich HR, 2 RBI; Haupert 1-2, 2 runs; Cruz 2-3; Wagner 2-4, HR, 3 RBI; Molly Coppinger 2-3, 2b.

CHICO, Calif. — Having had no success scoring in a conventional manner off Central Washington ace Lauren Hadenfeld, Chico State resorted to small ball.

And the 16th-ranked Tritons, using successive squeeze bunts in the bottom of the sixth inning Friday, downed the Wildcats 2-1 in a first-round NCAA Division II West Regional game.

Central (33-15), which lost for only the fourth time in 27 games, will drop into loser’s bracket play at 1:30 p.m. today against Western Washington, which was beaten 3-1 Friday by Chico State. If CWU survives that loser-out test against a team it split six GNAC games with this season, it will play another elimination game at 4 p.m.

To win the tournament title, Central must win four consecutive games — two today and two more Sunday.

The Wildcats were locked in a pitcher’s duel Friday, and finished with only three hits off UCSD standout Camille Gaito (27-4), who struck out eight while walking none.

In the top of the fifth inning, however, Central’s Kelsey Haupert crushed a long home run — her national D-II-leading 21st of the season — for a 1-0 Wildcat lead.

San Diego (37-13) responded in the bottom of the sixth when leadoff hitter Sarah Woofter was hit by a pitch and Charly Swanberg followed with a bunt single.

Another bunt, this a sacrifice by Esther Strom, advanced the runners, after which Jennifer De Fazio squeezed home Woofter from third. The next hitter, Rhiannon Ousley, produced another squeeze that scored Swanberg.

Five of the Tritons’ seven hits of Hadenfeld (23-10) were bunts, and none left the infield.

YAKIMA, Wash. — Central Washington’s action in the NCAA Division II West Regional Tournament, which starts today at Chico, Calif., can be followed on the internet.

Play by play of the Wildcats’ noon tourney opener with UC San Diego as well as live stats of the contests can be accessed by first logging onto CWU’s athletics website, http://www.wildcatsports.com/sbregionals2011. Broadcasts will start approximately five minutes before the games.

CWU (33-14) reached the tournament for the second straight year by winning the GNAC championship, also for the second successive season.

The four-team, double-elimination tournament will also feature Western Washington and Chico State, who oppose each other at 2:30 p.m. today. Three games are scheduled for Saturday with one or two to be played Sunday to determine the champion.

ADULT FASTPITCH

Action Towing downs Morton

Mark Day drove in four runs and John Ripplinger homered to lead Action Towing to an 8-6 victory over Morton Supply in an adult men’s fastpitch game Thursday night.

Sam Karr struck out seven for AT, which outhit Morton 14-6.

Action Towing      320 001 1 — 8 14 5
Morton                    021 011 1 — 6 6 6
Karr and George, Rousseau (4); McCauley and Ward.
Highlights: Mike Smith (AT) 3-4; Mark Day 3-4, 4 RBI; John Ripplinger (AT) HR; Deke Merritt (M) 2-3.

Late Wednesday

Tim Fischer batted 3-for-4 and drove in four runs and Shayne Arndt fired a 10-strikeout three-hitter on Wednesday to lift JRW & Associates to a 14-0 victory over Action Towing in Yakima adult men’s fastpitch.

JRW & Associates    254 03 — 14 9 1
Action Towing          000 00 — 0 3 4
Arndt and Johnson; George, Harris (2) and Russo.
JRW highlights: Casey Johnson 3 runs, 3 RBI; Tim Fischer 3-4, 4 RBI; Tim Roinestad 2-3, RBI; Brandon Patro 2 runs, 2 RBI; Shayne Arndt 10 Ks, 0 BB.

ELLENSBURG, Wash. — Samantha Petrich, a senior on Central Washington’s GNAC championship fastpitch team, has been named the conference’s Player of the Year.

Petrich, from Chehalis, was also joined Tuesday by CWU teammates Kelsey Haupert, Lauren Hadenfeld and Carrina Wagner on the all-GNAC first team.

Central’s Molly Coppinger and Keilani Cruz were second-team selections while Elena Carter and Liz Jusko received honorable mention.

Petrich batted .484 with an on-base percentage of .609 and a slugging percentage of .910 for the Wildcats (33-14), who are scheduled to open NCAA Division II West Regional play in Chico, Calif. at noon Friday against UC San Diego.

Haupert, Central’s only unanimous first-team pick, is the D-II national home run leader with 20, which is a school and GNAC record. She’s also hitting .452 and recently set a conference record with hits in 10 consecutive at bats.

Hadenfeld, CWU’s pitching ace, is 23-9 with a 2.18 earned run average. Wagner is hitting .331 with 14 homers.

DRAG RACING

Lactila wins at Renegade

James Lactila defeated Andy Schlenker to win the Super Pro Bracket title in the Summit No. 2 Division to highlight results in the season-opening event at Renegade Raceway this past Saturday.

More than 115 cars from six states took part.

Next racing at Renegade is the Dee Adams Fire and Thunder Memorial Race May 20-21.

SATURDAY’S RESULTS

Street Legal No. 1

Street Legal bracket — Winner: Larry Withem, 12.992 estimated time, 100.15 mph. Runner-up: Wayne Badgley, 14.375, 97.87.

Sport Compact bracket — Winner: Rob Storm, 16.097, 80.69. Runner-up: Steven Aragon, 16.596, 79.44.

Street Legal No. 2

Street Legal bracket — Winner: James Parker, 15.194, 74.64. Runner-up: Suzi Bundy, 17.191, 79.51.

Sport Compact bracket — Winner: Rob Storm, 14.591, 92.26. Runner-up: Kelly McTee, 16.898, 81.11.

Summit No. 1

Sportsman Bracket — Winner: James Parker, 14.949, 92.89. Runner-up: Ken Morgan, 12.287, 105.47.

Jr. Dragster bracket — Winner: Layne Linder, 8.799, 74.60. Runner-up: Jordan Steward, 8.082, 81.80.

Pro Bracket — Winner: Shalon Domme, 10.045, 123.98. Runner-up: Bob Henrie, 9.976, 129.64.

Super Pro Bracket — Winner: Jim Mears, 9.925, 133.47. Runner-up: Chantel Heffington, 7.740, 165.71.

Summit No. 2

Sportsman Bracket — Winner: Suzi Bundy, 17.357, 82.18. Runner-up: James Packer, 14.944, 92.04.

Pro Bracket — Winner: Bob Bundy, 11.684, 106.50. Runner-up: Jerome Feltman, 10.675, 119.28.

Super Pro Bracket — Winner: James Lactila, 9.087, 150.45. Runner-up: Andy Schlenker, 7.994, 168.25.

ELLENSBURG — For the second straight year, Central Washington’s softball team is the No. 8 seed in the NCAA Division II Softball West Regional.

Pairings were announced Monday and the Wildcats, coming off their second consecutive GNAC title, will travel to Chico, Calif.

As the No. 8 seed, the Wildcats (33-14) will face top-seeded U.C. San Diego (36-13) at noon Friday. Also in the regional are No. 4 seed and tournament host Chico State (29-17) and fifth seed Western Washington (36-14), who will play each other at 2:30 p.m. Friday.

All games in the double-elimination tournament will be played at University Softball Field on the Chico State campus.

Central is 0-4 all-time against U.C. San Diego, 9-14 against Chico State, and 42-63 against Western Washington. The Wildcats have not faced UCSD or Chico State this season, while they went 3-3 against the archrival Vikings during GNAC play.

*******

WEST REGIONAL

Friday’s games

Game 1: Central Washington vs. UC San Diego, Noon

Game 2: Western Washington at Chico State, 2:30 p.m.

*******

Prep golf

SCAC

BOYS

At Goldendale

Team scores: Naches Valley 350, La Salle 354, Goldendale 385,

Medalists: Brad Bartley (NV) 85, Steve Stiekema (LS) 85.

Naches Valley: Shane Tillett 88, Dawson Roeber 88, Conner Oliver 89, Russell Widner 108, Josh St. Martin 111.

La Salle: Ty Lighty 86, Beau Wangler 87, Jack Sutton 96, Matt Hoon 107, Matt Brusic 117.

Goldendale: J.C. Wilsey 92, Justin Fields 95, Riley Ross 98, Mitch Anderson 100, Garrett Cooper 107.

*******

At SunTides, par 70

Team scores: Cle Elum 346, Royal 394, Highland 418.

Medalist: Rylee Iacolucci (CE) 74.

Cle Elum: Ryan Selzler 83, Chase Sukert 92, Dustin Roseburg 97.

Highland: Hunter Larson 99, Trevor Stander 104, Taylor Garent 105, Garrett Linse 110.

*******

GIRLS

At Goldendale

Team scores: Goldendale 417, Naches Valley 453, La Salle 461.

Medalist: Bree Wanderscheid (G) 79.

Goldendale: Margaret Bellemy 108, Natalie Hurst 114, Sawyer Ross 116, Myllena Sampaio 131.

Naches Valley: Hannah Cobleigh 112, Cindy Tapia 113, Brittney Deaton 114, Holly Vance 114, Ashley Koszty 117.

La Salle: Cassie Voelker 111, Claire Moorer 111, Libby Young 111, Elena Holbrook 128, Cheyenne Taylor 34.

At SunTides, par 70

Team scores: Highland 421, Cle Elum 464, Royal inc.

Medalist: Haley Gredvig (H) 92.

Highland: Lillian Mitchum 99, Kassie Hampton 104, Cheyan Leyva 126.

Cle Elum: Raechelle Gumeson 106, Cheyenne Henrichsen 113, Sammy Clifton 121, Sarah Winebrenner 124.

*******

Non-League

INLAND EMPIRE

At Spokane, par 72

BOYS

Team scores: Mt. Spokane 310, Southridge 311, Richland 312, Clarkston 313, Hanford 315, 11, West Valley 331.

Top 5: 1, Samson Martinez (P) 72; 2, (tie) Nick Mandell (S) 74, Riley Hayfield (Ka) 74, Michael Baldeck (Cl) 74; 5, (tie) Eric Gravbrot (WV) 75, Tyler Carlson (Cl) 75, Sean Prue (Ke) 75, Hunter Thompson (R) 75, Matt Rezendes (R) 75.

West Valley: Matt Mickelson 84, Sam Snipes 84, Dylan Dietrich 88, Conor O’Brien 91.

*******

PASCO INVITATIONAL

At Sun Willows, par 72

GIRLS

Team scores: Pasco 24, West Valley 24, Eastmont 201?2, Walla Walla 20, Kamiakin 19, Kennewick 19, Chiawana 171?2, Richland 14, Eisenhower 11, Southridge 10, Hanford 6.

Scotch ball: 1, Neydeen Martinez-Sierra Linke (P) 94; 5, Brooklyn Wood-Taylor Boyle (WV) 118.

Chapman: 1, McKenzie Bond-Stefanie Tanasse (Eis) 91; 3, Krista Nagle-Miranda Swanson (WV) 96.

Scramble: 1, Ashley Davis-Jessica Shafer (Ch) 84; 4, Shelby Meyer-Kendyl Comiskey (WV) 92; Kayliann Anderson-Sirin Lokhunsombat (E) inc.

*******

Prep Tennis

CWAC

Prosser girls 3, Wapato 2

Singles: Haily Larson (P) d. Nakota Strom 6-1, 6-0; Alexia Botello (W) d. Tabitha Reilly 6-4, 6-2.

Dougles: Lizette Melendez-Stephanie Velasco (W) d. Karly Crawford-Helen Petersen 6-4, 6-4; Pamela Serrano-Samantha Reilly (P) d. Beverly Dosono-Isabel Alvarado 6-7, 6-2, 6-4; Kasandra Acosta-Daphne Reilly (P) d. Alina Gutierrez-Josefa Zarco 6-4, 6-4.

Defensive front dominates in Crimson win ||

ELLENSBURG, Wash. — Mike Reno was all over the place. So was Taylor Tanasse and so was Andrew Oney, all of whom are members of Central Washington’s defensive line.

Sometimes they were all over Ryan Robertson, the Wildcats’ quarterback, who once Saturday’s Crimson-White spring game at Tomlinson Stadium had concluded was glad that it, too, was all over.

“It was tough out there,” the redshirt junior from Sammamish’s Eastlake High School said afterward. “There weren’t many open throws, and when I did take some shots they made plays on the ball. Basically, the defense played their butts off.”

Louie Bruketta, right, tries to take down Domenique Hill during the Central Washington University spring football game on Saturday, May 7, 2011. (Sara Gettys/Yakima Herald-Republic)

Which seemed to be the preferred perspective in the CWU camp after the Crimson team, featuring the first-team defense opposing the White and the first-team offense, dominated all facets of play, 20-7.

“We’ve thought all along that our defensive line, with Taylor Tanasse, Mike Reno and Andrew Oney, would be our strength,” head coach Blaine Bennett said. “They’re all seniors, and there was another one, Tyrell Nielsen (recovering from a 2010 knee injury), standing over there in street clothes, who might be better than all of ‘em.”

Bennett had earlier expressed similar confidence in an offensive line, thanks to a mix of proven veterans and promising newcomers.

But after the White squad, featuring the first-team offense, was held to minus seven yards rushing, only 36 yards total and got its only points on an interception return, Bennett paused and said, “That group still needs to come together.”

There is time, of course. The Wildcats convene for fall workouts on Aug. 10 and will open their 2011 season on Sept. 2 at home against perennial NCAA Division II power Texas A&M Kingsville.

And it’s likely that offensive reinforcements will materialize between now and then in the form of transfers.

Central fans must hope so, or that their defense is in fact exceptionally good since Saturday’s statistical standouts played for the Crimson squad. Meaning they were members of the No. 2 offense going against the No. 2 defense.

Domenique Hill, a 230-pound sophomore running back from Portland, and who last played at Western Washington, gained 154 yards on 13 carries and scored on runs of 54 and 1 yards.

And if the name of Crimson quarterback Tyler Tuiasosopo sounds familiar, it should. The junior transfer from UCLA and Long Beach City College prepped at Mariner and is a cousin of former Washington and Oakland Raiders QB Marques Tuiasosopo.

“He made some plays, did some good things,” Bennett said of the 6-foot, 220-pounder who was 5 for 9 passing for 34 yards.

But perhaps the strongest showing came from Genesis Fonoimoana, a junior transfer from L.A. Harbor College and Long Beach City College. A 6-0, 200-pound safety, Fonoimoana stepped in front of a Trent Brown pass and returned it 50 yards for a touchdown.

He earlier had run the opening kickoff back 99 yards for a score for a score that was disallowed by spring game rules that prohibit hard hits to special teams players and quarterbacks.

Crimson placekicker Sean Davis also booted field goals of 49 and 44 yards.

Robertson, who finished 5 for 14 for 44 yards, later said a long TD pass to redshirt freshman Leon LaDeaux would have counted under normal game rules.

“They’re not going to call it a sack,” Robertson said, “if a guy just flicks your jersey.”

The status of two 2010 standouts, defensive back/kick returner Dominique Gaise and tight end Demetrius Guice, are uncertain due to eligibility issues.

Robertson, meanwhile, continued to credit CWU’s defensive front. “My guess is you couldn’t find a better D-line in the country,” he said.

Based on Saturday’s activities, Central fans had better hope he’s right.

White           0 7 0 0 — 7
Crimson      7 10 3 0 — 20
Crimson — Domenique Hill 54 run (Sean Davis kick)
White — Genesis Fonoimoana 50 interception return (Josef Kistler kick)
Crimson — Hill 1 run (Davis kick)
Crimson — FG Davis 49
Crimson — FG Davis 44

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — White: Jake Richardson 1-10, Ishmael Stinson 6-(minus 7), Ryan Robertson 3-(minus 7), Joe Fuerst 1-(minus 3). Crimson: Hill 13-154, Tyler Tuiasosopo 2-(minus 10), Trent Brown 1-(minus 5).
PASSING — White: Robertson 5-14-0 44. Crimson: Tuiasosopo 5-9-0-34; Brown 2-4-1-(minus 3); J.R. Grosshans 1-1-0-(minus 5).
RECEIVING — White: Leon LaDeaux 2-17, Griffin Squiers 2-25, Justin Helwege 1-11; Crimson: Holden Rethwell 1-5, Evan Tidball 2-23, Greg Logan 2-39, Hill 2-7.

ONTARIO, Ore. — William Chavarria’s sacrifice fly in the 12th inning pushed Yakima Valley to a 6-5 win over Treasure Valley and a doubleheader sweep Saturday that moved the Yaks substantially nearer an East Region title.

Combined with a 5-2 first-game win, YVCC improved to 20-4 in the East and increased its lead over second-place Columbia Basin to two games with four left.

CBC (18-6) split Saturday with Big Bend’s Vikings, whom Yakima Valley (26-7 overall) host on Wednesday for its last regular-season home games.

Should YVCC win the East, it would secure the program’s first NWAACC Tournament berth since 2000 and host the regional playoffs May 20-22. While the Yaks would be assured a tourney slot, they would play off for seeding purposes while the next three teams would compete for the one remaining NWAACC berth.

Saturday, YVCC trailed in the second game 4-3 starting the ninth, but tied it on Jake Fife’s RBI single. Roeman Fields then put the Yaks ahead with a sacrifice fly, only to have the Chukars (16-8, 31-8) tie it on Jared Forbush’s two-out, run-scoring single in the bottom of the inning.

TV then loaded the bases with no outs in the 10th against YVCC reliever Matt Wargacki, but didn’t score.

In the 12th, Jose Sermo drew a leadoff walk, moved up on Konrad Mueller’s sacrifice bunt and took third on a walk to J.R. Weigel. Chavarria then delivered his run-scoring fly, after which Derek Welton worked his second scoreless inning of relief to get the win.

In the first game, Yakima Valley erased a 2-0 deficit with three fifth-inning runs. Cameron Padron had a pinch-hit leadoff double, then scored on Mueller’s pinch single. A second run scored on Weigel’s safety squeeze bunt and a third came home on an error.

Four walks and a sacrifice fly by Sermo scored two more Yaks runs in the eighth to back the pitching of Nic Fowler, who went the distance and struck out three while walking one.

Game 1

Yakima Valley 000 030 020 — 5 6 1
Treasure Valley 101 000 000 — 2 9 2
Fowler and Chavarria; Nyborg, Barr (5), Flannery (8), Brasse (9) and Blackwell.
YVCC highlights: Nic Fowler 3 Ks, 1 BB; Roeman Fields 2-5.

Game 2

Yakima Valley 000 030 002 001 — 6 9 5
Treasure Valley 004 000 001 000 — 5 10 4
Schoonover, Wargacki (8), Welton (11) and Kerns, Chavarria (9); Johnson, Fabricious (5) and Berg.
YVCC highlights: Trevor Dallman 2-6, RBI; J.R. Weigel 2-5, 2 runs; Jake Fife 2-5, 2 RBI.

CWU ends season with sweep

BILLINGS, Mont. — Central Washington finished its season with its first GNAC doubleheader sweep of the year Saturday, downing Montana State Billings 18-5 and 5-3.

The wins snapped a five-game losing streak for the Wildcats (7-25 conference, 14-23 overall), who had also lost 10 of their last 12.

Eric Sorensen was CWU’s first-game standout, going 4 for 5 with a double, homer and six RBI. Glen Reser added three hits and five RBI.

Brandon Rohda then scattered seven hits in a complete-game performance, walking none and striking out six to complete the sweep.

Over its last three seasons under coach Desi Storey, Central has gone 46-96.

Game 1

Central                 175 300 200 — 18 20 2
MSU Billings      000 000 320 — 5 9 0
Millbauer, Burnett (9) and Kathman; Smith, Sanchez (2), Gilder (4), Waldorf (7), Barnett (9) and Chavez.
CWU highlights: Kelly Gau 2-3, 2b, 3 runs, RBI; Daniel Kathman 2-4, 2b, 3 runs, 2 RBI; Glen Reser 3-7, 2b, 5 RBI; Kris Henderson 2-5, 2b; Derrick Webb 2-3, RBI; Eric Sorensen 4-5, 2b, HR, 6 RBI; Brett Bielec 2-4.

Game 2

Central            230 000 0 — 5 12 0
MSU Billings   102 000 0 — 3 7 0
Rohda and Leid; Hutchings, Howe (6) and Schultz.
CWU highlights: Jimmy Ryerson 2-3, 3b, RBI; Henderson 2-3, 2b, RBI; David Leid 2-4, 2b; Sorensen 2-3, 2b.

COLLEGE FASTPITCH

Cruz HR lifts GNAC champ CWU

ELLENSBURG — Keilani Cruz’s three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth inning Saturday powered GNAC champion Central Washington to an 8-6 victory over Western Washington and a split of their regular season-ending doubleheader at Gary & Bobbi Frederick Field.

The Wildcats, who had secured their second straight conference title Friday when the second-place Vikings split a twin-bill with Saint Martin’s, will learn of their NCAA Division II playoff seeding Monday.

After the Viks won the opener 8-4, scoring five unearned runs on three CWU errors, Central (27-8 GNAC, 33-14 overall) trailed 4-3 going into the bottom of the fifth of the second game.

But the Wildcats scored two runs to take a 5-4 lead. Western (24-11, 36-14) scored single runs in each of the next two frames for a 6-5 advantage before Cruz clubbed the game-winner, her sixth homer of the season.

Kelsey Haupert homered in each game for CWU, running her single-season school record total to 20. As a team, Central hammered 70 long balls to set school and conference records.

CWU concluded the regular season by winning 23 of its last 26 games.

Game 1

Western 020 501 0 — 8 7 0
Central 300 001 0 — 4 7 3
Quint and Rothenberger; Hadenfeld and Carter.
CWU highlights: Taylor Trautmann 1-2, Samantha Petrich 2-3, 2b, RBI; Kelsey Haupert 2-3, 2b, HR, 2 RBI; Carrina Wagner 1-3, RBI.

Game 2

Western 201 101 1 — 6 7 4
Central 021 023 x — 8 6 4
Baker, Quint (6) and Rutherford; Gau and Hope.
CWU highlights: Bre Thomas 1-3; Keilani Cruz 2-4, HR, 3 runs, 3 RBI.

Yaks sweep Big Bend

YAKIMA, Wash. — Samantha Boelter collected three hits in each game to lead Yakima Valley to a 3-2, 11-4 sweep over Big Bend in an East Region doubleheader on Saturday at Dunbar Field.

Hannah Kranz and Monica Stout pitched six shutout innings each as the Yaks improved to 10-16 in the East and 20-21-1 for the season.

Yakima Valley will host Wenatchee Valley next Saturday at noon to close out the regular season.

Game 1

Big Bend             000 020 0 — 2 10 1
Yakima Valley   100 100 1 — 3 10 1
McCashland and Miller; Kranz and Ganuelas.
YVCC highlights: Sarah Moquin 2-4, run; Samantha Boelter 3-4, run; Hannah Hester 2-3, run, RBI; Chelsey Ganuelas 1-3, 2b, RBI; Hannah Kranz CG, 7 K, 0 BB.

Game 2

Big Bend               400 000 0 — 4 9 2
Yakima Valley     105 140 x — 11 13 2
Hanson, Eng (5) and Miller; Stout and Ganuelas, Kelly (5).
YVCC highlights: Monica Stout CG, 4 K, 1-3, run; Danielle Porter 2-4, run, RBI; Boelter 3-5, 2 runs; Tori Slobig solo HR; Hester 2-3, 3 runs, 2 RBI; Hollie Thierolf 1-2, run; Ganuelas 1-2, run, 2b, 2 RBI; Megan Kelly 1-4, 2 RBI; Rachel Aimone 1-4, run, RBI.

YAKIMA, Wash. — Central Washington, which won no fastpitch championships in the program’s first 17 years, claimed its second consecutive GNAC title Friday without throwing a pitch or swinging a bat.

Second-place Western Washington split its home doubleheader with Saint Martin’s, meaning the Wildcats take a three-game conference lead into today’s regular season-ending twin-bill with the Vikings at Gary & Bobbi Frederick Field.

Senior Day at CWU, starting at noon, will see the Wildcats (26-7 GNAC, 32-13 overall) prepare for their second straight NCAA Division II West Regional berth. Under first-year head coach Mallory Holtman, Central returned most key players from last year’s team that reached the regional final before losing to eventual national champion Hawaii Pacific.

ELLENSBURG, Wash. — Not only did the hits keep coming Thursday for Central Washington’s fastpitch team, four of them cleared the fence at Gary & Bobbi Frederick Field to set school and conference records as the Wildcats secured at least a tie for the GNAC title.

Central’s 12-4, 5-2 sweep of Western Oregon kept its two-game conference lead intact going into Saturday’s regular season-ending doubleheader at home against second-place Western Washington.

If the Vikings lose one of their two home games today against Saint Martin’s, CWU (26-7 GNAC, 32-13 overall) will have claimed its second straight conference title and accompanying NCAA Division II playoff berth. If the Vikings sweep the Saints, Central can close it out Saturday by winning one of two.

A year ago, Central reached the West Region title game before losing 1-0 to eventual national champion Hawaii Pacific and finishing 40-15.

For this year’s Wildcats, in their first season under head coach Mallory Holtman, home runs have been prominent as Central has won seven straight games and 22 of 24.

Central went deep three times in the five-inning opener — all of them three-run shots — as Lauren Hadenfeld improved to 23-8 with a five-hitter.

Keilani Cruz homered, singled twice, scored three runs and drove in four.

Counting Kelsey Haupert’s fifth-inning circuit blast in the second game, the Wildcats have totaled 67 homers — most in both school and GNAC history.

Haupert’s blast was her 18th of the year, breaking her own school and GNAC single-season records, and passing Holtman for the career homer mark.

Though only in her second year at CWU, Haupert is just one long ball short of the conference career mark. Including two seasons at Purdue, where Haupert homered 16 times, she has 52 career home runs.

Game 1

Western Ore.     002 02 — 4 5 3
Central                 035 31 — 12 11 4
Wood and Misfeldt; Hadenfeld and Carter.
CWU highlights: Bre Thomas 2-4; Keilani Cruz 3-3, HR, 4 RBI, 3 runs; Carrina Wagner 2-3, HR, 3 RBI; Samantha Petrich 1-3, 2b, RBI; Elena Carter 1-3, HR, 3 RBI.

Game 2

Western Ore.   100 100 0 — 2 4 0
Central               021 011 x — 5 9 1
White and Misfeldt; Gau and Carter.
CWU highlights: Haupert 2-3, HR, RBI; Cruz 1-3; Wagner 2-2, 2b; Carter 1-2, 2b, 2 RBI.

CWU can secure consecutive GNAC crowns this weekend ||

YAKIMA, Wash. — On a warm afternoon last autumn in Selah, Mallory Holtman squinted into the sun and smiled.

“I think we can go beyond what we did last year,” she said after an exhibition with the University of Washington, speaking of the previous season’s historic Central Washington fastpitch team and expressing her thoughts on a 2011 squad that would be her first as head coach. “We’re expecting to win another GNAC championship and go even farther in the playoffs.”

Samantha Petrich

Central takes a two-game conference lead into its final four regular season games — two today against Western Oregon and another doubleheader Saturday against second-place Western Washington. All will be played at CWU’s Gary & Bobbi Frederick Field.

If CWU emerges with the GNAC title, it will have earned a chance to fulfill Holtman’s hopes of a longer postseason run. And that would be saying something, given that the 2010 Wildcats, en route to a 40-15 finish, set all sorts of school records while extending eventual national champion Hawaii Pacific to a regional final before falling, 1-0.

What Central has done for an encore is compile a 30-13 record including a 24-7 conference mark. Impressive marks, to be sure, but even moreso considering a 4-6 overall start and 4-4 GNAC getaway that included being swept in a home doubleheader by archrival Western.

“The slow start happened partly because some of our players didn’t realize how big of a target we had on our backs,” said Holtman, a power-hitting first baseman during a CWU career that concluded in 2008. “We have almost our entire starting lineup back, and that put a lot of attention on us. Then it took us awhile to see a lot of live pitching, and we weren’t outside a ton because of the weather.”

Kelsey Haupert

“After the first day of the Best of the West Tournament in California, Gary and I got into the girls a little bit because we’d lost to two teams that were good, but not as good as us. It’s one thing to be good, but another to be great.

“And once it started clicking, it hasn’t stopped.”

Led by pitching ace Lauren Hadenfeld and the booming bats of Kelsey Haupert and Samantha Petrich, the Wildcats won a school-record 15 straight games. Then after a two-game hiccup at Montana State Billings,

Lauren Hadenfeld

In a tripleheader sweep of Simon Fraser on Monday in Ellensburg (the first game was the completion of one that had been suspended earlier), Haupert set school and conference records by hitting safely in 10 consecutive at bats.

“Kelsey,” Holtman said, “is a power hitter who’s hitting over .400 (.459, actually). That’s amazing. Samantha’s average (.495) is ninth in the nation. I had high expectations for both of them, but they’re still exceeding them. And Lauren is just doing what she always does (22-8, 2.17 ERA). She’s a workhorse.”

There is plenty of power, with Haupert having hit 17 homers (to go with 12 doubles and a team-best 48 RBI), Carrina Wagner 13 and Petrich 12 to pace a program-record 62 long balls. The GNAC mark is 63.

And it doesn’t hurt to have your No. 9 hitter produce a .394 average, as Molly Coppinger has.

Also, Holtman has reinforced the mentality that, yes, competing and playing hard are essential, but the bottom line remains that fastpitch is a game that’s supposed to be fun.

“The girls have always enjoyed playing here,” Holtman said, “but sometimes there can be an element of seriousness that isn’t necessary. If you take yourself too seriously, you’re going to over-think. At some point you just have to be an athlete and just go out and play.”