Lions take on Mavs C-Team to open softball season
CALEB PEREZ | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 4 months, 3 weeks 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
Sushik comes full circle ahead of first season at BBCC
MOSES LAKE — The next step in Liana Sushik’s athletic journey has led her to play for the Big Bend Community College Vikings volleyball team this fall after a successful career with the Soap Lake Eagles. Joining the Vikings is something she feels has deepened her love for the sport, she said. “I fell in love with the fact that there’s more than just high school volleyball; there’s another level,” said Sushik. “It’s like a whole new chapter and I’m so excited to see what I have next because there’s a lot that I’ve been through to get here.” Despite her success on the court, Sushik said she didn’t initially start out as an athlete.
Building a community at Desert City Fitness
EPHRATA — The city of Ephrata welcomed its newest athletic club earlier this summer with Desert City Fitness setting up along Basin Street. Since their grand opening June 6, the club has worked to become a strong contributor to the community in Ephrata. “We just opened our doors and whoever comes in, that’s how we do it,” said Bryan Boney, owner of Desert City Fitness. Boney, who owns the club alongside his wife Tracy Fillion, decided to open Desert City Fitness to keep himself active after retiring six years ago. Boney said he has invested all his money from retirement into purchasing the property, remodeling and getting the equipment necessary to open his fitness center.
Grid Kids expands opportunities this season
MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Grid Kids football program is gearing up for the start of its 26th football season this fall. This year, alongside their tackle football program, the Grid Kids have expanded their flag football options. “It’s one of those things that you just don’t really know how well it’s going to go, but right now we’re looking pretty strong,” said Brian Gwinn, the Gird Kids administrator and communications contact. The tackle opportunities remain the same for third through sixth grade with third and fourth graders playing together and fifth and sixth graders separately from the younger players. The format for third and fourth grade will remain at a regular 11-man game, but for fifth and sixth grade there is consideration for moving down to an eight-on-eight format.