Lions take on Mavs C-Team to open softball season
CALEB PEREZ | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 6 months, 1 week AGO
Katalina Lima Castro from the Mavs readies herself for the pitch during Wednesday’s matchup against the Lions.
CALEB PEREZ/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
Lions player Mattie Whitaker warms up to pitch during the second game against the Mavs Wednesday afternoon.
MLHS player Arrayah Ottolini runs toward first base after making a hit during Wednesday’s game against MLCA/CCS.
Elisa Serrato from MLCA/CCS works to throw the ball back into the diamond against MLHS Wednesday afternoon.
MOSES LAKE — Two young Moses Lake teams faced off in their first games of the season Wednesday afternoon with the Moses Lake Christian Academy/Covenant Christian School Lions varsity team taking on the Moses Lake Mavericks C-team. After the day’s events, the Mavs claimed 18-5 and 15-11 victories.
“It was a very intense game, we were playing a varsity team today, and I was a little stressed out on how we were going to do, but we ended up finishing pretty well,” said Mavs C-Team Head Coach Jazzmen Rose.
The Mavs started out strong in the first game, taking an early lead over the Lions. MLCA/CCS was able to put up a few runs, but MLHS stayed ahead and won 18-5 in five innings.
The second game started with the Mavs coming out early with runs, but the Lions quickly rebounded to close the gap. By the end of the game, MLCA/CCS had gotten within four points before the umpires called the game in the fifth inning with the Mavs leading 15-11.
Rose said Wednesday’s pair of games was a great learning experience for the Mav, and they are working to strive for improvement as they continue throughout the season. This season she wants the players to work hard, bring home as many wins as they can, and have fun while doing it.
As they work their way through this season, the Mavs coach said she wants the team to work on their fielding as they run through first and third base situations and work on their base running skills.
“They are actually improving really well so far just in those first couple of weeks that we’ve had at practices,” said Rose. “They have done amazingly and I’m very proud of them.”
Lions Head Coach Todd Gregory said he was pleased with the way his players performed in their first matchup of the season. He felt the team hit very well against a strong pitcher and did a good job making their way around the bases.
“A good takeaway from it is that it was encouraging to see them all swinging the bat and getting on base,” said Gregory.
Wednesday’s game also showed MLCA/CCS that there is still a lot of work that has to be done as they get ready to head into league. The Lions coach said the team still needs to iron out some defensive fundamentals such as making catches for easy outs and not allowing their opponent any extra bats.
The Lions immediately got back into action after facing the Mavs Wednesday for a double header Thursday afternoon against a league rival, Inchelium, in their first league matchup. Despite their efforts, errors bogged down the Lions and they fell 9-15 and 5-26.
The Mavs C-team remains at home for their next double header against Cle Elum-Roslyn on March 25 with the first game starting at 3 p.m. MLCA/CCS heads on the road for their next round on the diamond in a doubleheader against Mary Walker on March 26 with the first game at 2 p.m.
MAVS C-Team Roster
Name, Jersey
Mariela Vargas, 2
Evelyn Cano, 3
Aundrea Moreno, 5
Sadie Merritt, 7
Abby Vasquez, 9
Lexie Gruber, 10
Naeomi Serrato, 11
Aliyah Merino, 12
Zenieda Gonzales, 16
Katalina Lima Castro, 17
Rylee Clardy, 21
Brooklyn Bruce, 23
Mariana Vargas, 24
Arrayah Ottolini, 25
Liliana Portillo, 28
Luciana Roth, 30
Lions Roster
Name, Jersey
Kaylie Schmidt, 1
Rachel Hirz, 2
Liana Spike, 3
Isabella Leslie, 6
Elisa Serrato, 7
Taylor Starnes, 9
Kimberly Monforton, 11
Crystal Lambert, 12
Mattie Whitaker, 13
Emma Collins, 14
Lions player Mattie Whitaker warms up to pitch during the second game against the Mavs Wednesday afternoon.
MLHS player Arrayah Ottolini runs toward first base after making a hit during Wednesday’s game against MLCA/CCS.
Elisa Serrato from MLCA/CCS works to throw the ball back into the diamond against MLHS Wednesday afternoon.ARTICLES BY CALEB PEREZ
Knights win in overtime shootout against Naches
ROYAL CITY — The Royal Knights girls soccer team (6-0-1) had a tight game against Naches Valley (5-1-1) Tuesday evening that came down to a penalty kick shootout that the Knights won 6-5. Though the game was ruled as a tie in official standings, winning the PKs brought excitement for the team. "We played hard and we never gave up," said Knights junior Sarah Bergeson who shot the final PK. "We're proud of us." The game was a defensive battle from the beginning with Naches making an early shot on goal that was stopped by Knights freshman goalkeeper Areli Romero. Following this, Royal gained possession of the ball and proceeded to apply pressure on the opposing goal for a majority of the half.
Knights fall in five-set match against Naches Valley
ROYAL CITY — The Royal Knights volleyball team (0-6) had a tough battle at home against Naches Valley Tuesday night as they fell 3-2 in the five-set game. "The first two sets were definitely rough," said Knights senior Graycie Kast. "We didn't have a lot of energy starting off, but that third set, we got our energy back and just started having fun and the game just came to us." The Knights fell behind early in the first set as they struggled to score, giving Naches Valley an advantage. Royal began to find momentum as the set went on to cut into the deficit, but Naches Valley remained dominant on the court to win 25-12.
Tigers girls XC takes first at Apple Ridge
EPHRATA— The Ephrata Tigers had a successful day at the Apple Ridge Run Invite Saturday as the boys took third overall, while the girls took first out of 20 schools that competed. Tigers Head Coach Lyndsy Roberts said he was very proud of the way his athletes performed in the early season meet. "Our girls showed up and competed," said Roberts. "They didn't back down from the competition and proved they are going to be a team to watch this year. Winning this meet was a big step for the program." The Apple Ridge meet had a unique scoring format with three different race courses with two athletes scoring on each course, Roberts said. This gives a total of six scoring athletes rather than the traditional five.