Tigers victorious over East Valley, advance to state
MIKE MAYNARD | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 2 months AGO
Tigers pitcher Olivia Bicondova plays in a previous game against Prosser. Bicondova pitched a strong game against East Valley, only allowing two hits on 89 pitches
FILE PHOTO
Ephrata’s Jaemyson Durfee plays in a previous game against Othello. Durfee went four-for-four at bat and racked up three RBIs.
Dakota Durfee plays in a game last season. Durfee contributed four RBIs to the Tigers' win over East Valley.
EPHRATA — The Tigers softball team, 21-10, defeated East Valley, 19-5, with a final score of 17-1 on Saturday. The Tigers’ second and fourth inning efforts propelled them to victory.
“We hit the ball really well, we played some pretty errorless defense,” head coach Heather Wood said, “They had a goal in mind, and they achieved it.”
The Tigers opened the game on fire, scoring two runs in the first inning and exploding for six in the second. A two-out rally against East Valley boosted their efforts in the second inning.
In the bottom of the third inning, East Valley would get on the board for the first and only time. The Tigers responded at the top of the fourth inning with another explosive offensive effort. They racked up six more runs, increasing their lead to 13-1 heading into the fifth inning.
The Tigers would finish what they started with three more runs before throwing East Valley out and securing the 17-1 victory.
Olivia Bicondova’s pitching efforts helped the Tigers defensively and prevented East Valley from building any momentum. On 89 pitches, Bicondova only allowed two hits and struck out six East Valley batters.
On offense, Jaemyson Durfee went four-for-four at bat and racked up three RBIs for the Tigers. Dakota Durfee also racked up four RBIs for the Tigers.
“They all did their job; that’s why we’re heading to state,” Wood said, “This was one of our goals. I think our second goal is to make it to day two of state. You just go one game at a time, and you've got to leave it on the field. They know that it’s a do-or-die situation, so we’ll bring it and see where we complete.”
The Tigers will head to Carlon Park this Friday to play the Olympic Trojans (20-3-1) with hopes of making a deep run in the state tournament.
Ephrata’s Jaemyson Durfee plays in a previous game against Othello. Durfee went four-for-four at bat and racked up three RBIs.
Dakota Durfee plays in a game last season. Durfee contributed four RBIs to the Tigers' win over East Valley.ARTICLES BY MIKE MAYNARD
Maverick's trainer shares tips for safe summer conditioning
MOSES LAKE — With August on the horizon, the return of local high school athletics is drawing closer by the day. Lily Rodriguez, who serves as the athletic trainer at Moses Lake High School, shared some tips for how athletes can prepare for outdoor sports amidst heat and fluctuating air quality. "They need to start slowly entering into the heat as well," Rodriguez said. "They need to be acclimated (to the heat). It takes about 10 to 14 days of slow and gradual increase in activity. The first thing that they got to start doing is physical conditioning."
Eastern Washington BMX tracks team up for Race for Life fundraiser
MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake BMX will be participating in the Race for Life fundraiser the first weekend of August. A nationwide event, Eastern Washington BMX entities are adapting it into a four-track series across Walla Walla, Columbia Basin, Spokane and Moses Lake, President of Moses Lake BMX Jeff Niehenke said. "We try to see who can raise the most money amongst the tracks," Niehenke said. "We have a traveling trophy that goes along with that for bragging rights. Along with that, we also do a four-race series for the riders, and we have end-of-series awards for those who get the most points through those four races."
Mavericks wrestlers gain national experience in Fargo
MOSES LAKE — Eli Anderson and Conner Duvall from the Moses Lake Mavericks wrestling program recently returned from Fargo, North Dakota for the 2026 US Marine Corps Junior nationals. "I think I performed good," Anderson said. "But I don't think I performed my best; I could have done better in my last match to make it further."