NIC SOFTBALL: Cardinals fourth at NWAC Championships

PORTLAND — North Idaho College freshman Hayden Rockwell hit two solo home runs, including a shot in the bottom of the seventh to cut the deficit to one run, but the third-seeded Cardinals were unable to get any closer, falling to top-seeded Bellevue 7-6 in a loser-out game in the Northwest Athletic Conference Championships at Delta Park on Saturday.

NIC (39-11) finished fourth.

Later, Bellevue (41-4) was knocked out by fourth-seeded Clackamas 3-2 to finish third. Clackamas (35-12) will face South Region and second-seeded Southwestern Oregon (47-3) in the championship game today at 11 a.m., with an if-necessary game scheduled for 1:30 p.m. if Clackamas wins.

Rockwell’s solo shot in the fifth gave NIC a 4-3 lead. Kami Korok followed later in the inning with an RBI single to give NIC a 5-3 lead.

Morgan Sunchild gave Bellevue a 6-5 lead in the top of the seventh with a two-run homer to highlight a four-run inning that erased a 5-3 NIC lead.

NIC sophomore Abbey Brooks had nine strikeouts.

Bellevue 003 000 4 — 7 9 1

North Idaho 012 020 1 — 6 9 2

Kaci Imus and Haley Winckler; Abbey Brooks and Summer Makinster, Emma Todhunter (6).

HITS: Bell — Studioso, Tadvick 2, Sunchild, Imus, Shults, Fodge, Wong, Winckler. NIC — Rockwell 3, Hommel, Korok, Hobson 2, Schulhauser, Kostoff. 2B — Winckler, Hommel, Hobson, Kostoff. HR — Sunchild, Rockwell 2.

NORTHWEST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

At Delta Park, Portland

Thursday’s Games

Southwestern Oregon 8, Centralia 0, 5 innings

Columbia Basin 8, Everett 0, 5 innings

Walla Walla 11, Edmonds 6

North Idaho 9, Wenatchee Valley 0, 5 innings

Clackamas 9, Spokane 5

Lower Columbia 7, Mt. Hood 3,

Treasure Valley 6, Douglas 4

Bellevue 10, Chemeketa 0, 5 innings

Everett 8, Centralia 0 (loser out)

Wenatchee Valley 19, Edmonds 16 (loser out)

Southwestern Oregon 4, Columbia Basin 0

North Idaho 6, Walla Walla 4

Clackamas 11, Lower Columbia 4

Bellevue 12, Treasure Valley 0, 5 innings

Friday’s Games

Everett 13, Treasure Valley 2, 5 innings (loser out)

Wenatchee Valley 16, Lower Columbia 3, 5 innings (loser out)

Mt. Hood 12, Walla Walla 2, 5 innings (loser out)

Columbia Basin 11, Douglas 3, 5 innings (loser out)

Southwestern Oregon 4, North Idaho 0

Clackamas 4, Bellevue 3

Everett 13, Wenatchee Valley 2, 5 innings (loser out)

Mt. Hood 8, Columbia Basin 3 (loser out)

North Idaho 18, Everett 2, 5 innings (loser out)

Bellevue 14, Mt. Hood 4, 5 innings (loser out)

Saturday’s Games

Southwestern Oregon 2, Clackamas 0 (semifinal)

Bellevue 7, North Idaho 6 (NIC fourth)

Clackamas 3, Bellevue 2 (Bellevue third)

Sunday’s Games

Game 30 — No. 2 Southwestern Oregon (47-3) vs. No. 4 Clackamas (35-12), 11 a.m. (championship game)

Game 31 — Loser Game 30 vs. Winner Game 30, 1:15 p.m. (if-necessary game)