Wagenaar steps down at SC

YAKIMA, Wash. — When Dean Wagenaar took on the principal and athletic director jobs at Sunnyside Christian 11 years ago — in addition to being head coach of the school’s storied boys basketball program — one question kept being revisited:

How long, he wondered, can I keep this up?

The answer came this week when Wagenaar stepped down as basketball coach with a hefty resume that includes six Class B and 1B state championships and a 374-91 record in 18 seasons.

“Eleven years ago I didn’t know how long I’d have the energy to handle all these commitments. This just felt like the time to pull back some,” Wagenaar said. “It’s a difficult thing to do, but the time is right.”

Wagenaar’s Knights won Class B titles in 2002 and 2005 and then dominated the new 1B class, capturing titles in 2007, ’08, ’10 and ’11. The 2007 team went 26-0. He leaves the program with a 14-year streak of qualifying for the state tournament.

“I’ve been tremendously blessed here,” he said.

COLLEGE FASTPITCH

Yaks split with Big Bend

YAKIMA, Wash. — Karyssa Marbet pitched a four-hitter and Jessie Ihly clubbed a two-run double Friday as Yakima Valley beat Big Bend 6-1 for a split of its East Region fastpitch doubleheader at Dunbar Field.

Big Bend won the first game 8-7 in 10 innings.

Marbet struck out four and walked two in the nightcap. Ihly’s double highlighted a four-run first inning that gave the Yaks (2-8 region, 8-9-1 overall) all the scoring they’d need.

Arlene Futch was 3 for 4, capping a 6 for 10 day as YVCC pounded out 32 hits over the two games. Courtney Cable also was 6 for 10 and totaled four RBI.

The Yaks produced 21 hits in the opener, but committed five errors and had several baserunning mistakes. Big Bend won with two runs in the top or the 10th, during international tiebreaker play, scoring what proved to be the winning run on an error.

YVCC scored one in the bottom of the inning on Cable’s RBI single, but could not advance her past first.

Yakima Valley continues region play at noon today with a doubleheader against Spokane.

Game 1

Big Bend 011 000 310 2 — 8 13 0
Yakima Valley 230 000 010 1 — 7 21 5

McCashland, Salverda (2) and Ouellette; McKinley and Cable.

YVCC highlights: Arlene Futch 3-6, run; Courtney Cable 4-6, run, 2b, 3b, 3 RBI; Krysta Beach 4-6, 2b, RBI; Jessie Ihly 3-5, RBI; Ariel McKinley 2-5; Kiley Dunn 2-5, 2 runs; Jenna Bice 2-5, run.

Game 2

Big Bend 000 001 0 — 1 4 0
Yakima Valley 410 001 x — 6 11 1

Salverda, Downey (1) and Ouellette; Marbet and Cable.

YVCC highlights: Futch 3-4, 2 runs, 2b; Cable 2-4, RBI; Beach 2-3, 2 runs, 2b, RBI; Tori Slobig 1-3; Ihly 1-3, 2b, 2 RBI; Dunn 1-3, RBI; Karyssa Marbet 4 Ks, 2 BB.

Central routed at MSU Billings

BILLINGS, Mont. — Bre Thomas and Liz Jusko had two hits each, but Central Washington was overrun by Montana State Billings 9-1 Friday in a six-inning weather-delayed GNAC fastpitch game.

The contest started three hours late and was scheduled to be the first installment of a doubleheader. It was played in 35-degree weather. The second game was postponed and will be played today as part of a tripleheader starting at 10 a.m. MDT.

MSUB (18-3 conference, 25-8 overall) scored five second-inning runs of Central starter Maria Gau. The Wildcats fell to 8-12 and 12-20.

Central Washington 000 001 — 1 7 2
MSU Billings 050 022 — 9 9 1

Gau and Carter; Bywater and Wilkerson.

CWU highlights: Bre Thomas 2-3; Natasha Wood 1-1; Liz Jusko 2-3; Heidy Wells 1-1, 2 BB; Elena Carter 1-3.

COLLEGE BASEBALL

Big inning gives CWU split

ELLENSBURG, Wash. — David Leid hit two RBI singles in Central Washington’s eight-run sixth inning Friday as the Wildcats downed Northwest Nazarene 10-1 for a split of their GNAC baseball doubleheader.

The Crusaders won the opener 15-1.

Randy Button pitched a seven-inning complete-game for CWU (7-7 GNAC, 11-15 overall), scattering nine hits while striking out five and walking two.

In Central’s big inning, the first six batters reached base and pinch-hitter Spencer Humphrey delivered a two-run single.

Nazarene (5-7, 16-13) pounded out 14 hits off four Wildcats pitchers in the opener and scored 11 times in the sixth and seventh innings.

The teams meet today for another doubleheader scheduled to start at noon.

Game 1

NW Nazarene 012 017 400 — 15 14 0
Central Wash. 000 000 010 — 1 9 7

Sneed, Burk (8) and Mitchell; Long, Hastings (6), Knutson (7), Davidson (9) and Sani.

CWU highlights: Derrick Webb 2-2; Brandon Wang 1-3, 2b; David Leid 2b.

Game 2

NW Nazarene 001 000 0 — 1 9 0
Central Wash. 000 118 x — 10 9 1

Pollock, Vaughn (6), Brown (6), Kuhn (6) and Gorzo; Button and Sani.

CWU highlights: Wang 1-3, 2b; Kyle Sani 2-3; David Leid 2-4, 2 RBI; Spencer Humphrey 1-1, 2 RBI.

AUTO RACING

Renegade opener today

PARKER — Renegade Raceway will open its 42nd season of drag racing at the quarter-mile strip today.

Gates will open at 9 a.m. with racing at 1 p.m. for the season’s first Test & Tune event. Renegade will host another Test & Tune on April 14 before staging the first Summit Series event the next day.